Tag: Baby

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Sunday Swatch – Bella Chenille

Today’s Sunday Swatch is in Bella Chenille colors 109 Blueberry and 111 Clover.

SS Bella Chenille blog

Bella Chenille is a superbulky supersoft chenille.  I dare you to pick up a skein and not squeeze it.  It’s also available in a multi version with sweet pastel tones.

We love this yarn for baby knits.  Not only is it very soft, but it’s also machine washable.  The swatch shown above ran through my front-loader before being laid out to dry, and as you can see it came through with flying (vibrant!) colors.

The pattern above was originally meant to be a circle, although unblocked it came out more of a soft flower shape – it almost reminds me of a poppy.  It’s based on instructions in the Alyoops! blog post linked here, although this swatch used two size 10 1/2 (6.5mm) circular needles rather than double-points.  Wouldn’t this make a great throw or baby blanket?  I can even see sewing a few ribbons on the edges to make a “wooby” for a toddler to carry around.

There are more free ideas for kid projects on our website, like the Lil’ Lightning Baby Blanket in Bella Chenille and Bella Chenille Multi at right.

We wish you soft, sweet, pretty things in your life.  Happy crafting!

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Free Pattern Friday – A Week of Babies!

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Little Bird Patch Pullovers together_blog

Today, it’s a two-fer!  We present the Professor Pullover (left) and Love Patches (right).  How adorable are those little elbow patches?  Both cute baby sweaters are knit in lightweight machine washable Little Bird 100% microfiber acrylic (344yds/100g).  This yarn is exceptionally soft, making it a great choice for baby projects.

These two designs cap off an entire week of free baby and kid patterns.  Sometimes it’s hard to find things that aren’t too froufrou for little kids, so we focused mainly on designs that didn’t have too many lacy details.

Infusion Over and Out Vest_blogFirst, the Over and Out Vest in Infusion Handpaints wool/acrylic.  Two skeins makes a sophisticated vest for a tyke who needs dress up a little but still keep those arms free for making mudpies.  Did we mention Infusion Handpaints is machine washable?

 

Lil Grandpa cardigan_blogNext, the Lil’ Grandpa Cardigan in Deluxe DK Superwash 100% wool.  Sized for ages 1-10, this machine washable cabled cardigan would look very dignified paired with a bubble pipe and a golden retriever.

 

Bella Chenille Snowbaby Set_blogThe Snowbaby Set is a snuggly soft hat and sweater in Bella Chenille.  Sized for 3-24 months, it’s a simple project to knit in the round.  The snap flap at the shoulder makes the sweater very easy to pull over baby’s head.

 

Little Bird Colors Cutie Cardi 1_blogFinally… okay, something a little more frilly, because how could we resist?  The Cutie Cardi is knit in Little Bird Colors 100% microfiber acrylic with a solid Little Bird crocheted border.  The pleated pockets are an adorable accent.

We hope you find some inspiration from these sweet designs for little sweethearts!

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Sunday Swatch – Little Bird Colors

Today’s Sunday Swatch is in Little Bird Colors.

Little Bird Colors

This is color 203.  With a name like “Grass Stain” it just had to come outdoors to play.

Little Bird Colors, like its sibling Little Bird, is a smooth machine-washable 100% acrylic with a cottony feel.  This yarn  glided along my needles with ease.  Little Bird Colors comes 344 yards per 100g, so this swatch barely made a dent in the ball.

Little Dreamer PulloverThe stitch used is the same as in the free pattern Little Dreamer Pullover at right.  This baby and toddler sweater was designed for Little Bird solids, and I was curious as to how it would look with the stripes of Little Bird Color.  Answer – great!  The swatch was knitted to the same dimensions as the smallest size of the sweater – 61 stitches wide, with five rows of twisted rib on a US Size 3 needle and the body knitted on a slightly larger US Size 4.  I’m tempted to keep going, since baby shower season is upon us and it’s always a good idea to have a spare gift on hand.

For those curious as to what the back side of this slip stitch rib looks like, it’s even and smooth, as you can see.

Little Bird Colors Swatch back side_blog

This was also excellent practice in slip stitch – the next Afghan Knitalong block releases on May 12th and features this technique, so it was a good time to brush up.

We hope you spend a little time outdoors among green and growing things today.  Happy knitting!

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Free Pattern Friday – Building Blocks Blanket

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Building Blocks Blanket Cirrus Cotton

 

Today, it’s the Building Blocks Blanket in Cirrus Cotton.

Cirrus Cotton is a fuzzy, light, and lofty cotton blend, a great choice as we move into Spring.  It knits up quickly on size 9-11 needles, making it perfect for quick baby shower gifts like this 32″ square blanket.

It’s a simple pattern with no fancy stitches, just knits and purls.  As with so many things in life, it builds on the basics to create complexity.

Happy knitting!

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Free Pattern Friday – Little Peep Dress

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Little Peep Dress in Little BirdToday, something adorable!  The Little Peep Dress is designed in soft, smooth Little Bird.  It’s a sleek, high quality 100% acrylic that knits up easily here on a US Size 3 needle.

Little Bird 3 balls

Designer Amy Gunderson was inspired by the figures on the Little Bird label to create a cute set of feathered friends suitable for any little chickadee.  This is a great warm-weather dress for Spring.

These birds are a classic example of the kind of designs you can make with intarsia.  If you’re participating in our afghan knitalong, these would be a great use for your new skills (which we’ll be refining further with our new square on Monday).

Happy knitting!

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Free Pattern Friday – Starglow Ski Cap

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Starglow Ski Cap in Little Bird

Today, we share the Starglow Ski Cap in Little Bird.  Little Bird is a smooth and soft 100% acrylic perfect for kid designs like this Fair Isle hat.  We love the border around the brim that coordinates with the tassels!

This free pattern is one we’ve waited a little while to share.  The one color of Little Bird we had not yet received from our mill was gray.  Yesterday, we received it (and a lot of other goodies).  For this pattern, the lack of one color could be a problem, but it’s also an opportunity for reflection.

Often when we see a pattern made up, we only want it in the color shown.  And that’s fine – sometimes, we just fall in love with something exactly as it is.  But sometimes, it’s healthy to stretch our imaginations and see it in other ways.  What would you do to make this pattern your own?

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Free Pattern Friday – Little Bird

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

You know, I love show season, don’t get me wrong. Stitches, TNNA, VKLive, they’re all great opportunities to show our stuff and to reconnect with other knitters and crocheters. But man, do they take a lot of work! I guess this is my way of saying I apologize for missing the last couple of Free Pattern Friday posts. Now that show season has waned a bit, things should get back to normal here. To make up for it, let’s do two free patterns for baby today!

Little Dreamer Pullover

First, the Little Dreamer Pullover. It’s a charming baby sweater knit from the bottom up. The raglan sleeves are easy, and anybody who has ever tried to dress a baby will appreciate a v-neck that slips easily over a little squirmer’s head. The slipped stitches in solid Little Bird (344yds/100g) give a lot of interest along the stripes where the color changes. It’s an easy technique that looks great – one of our favorite tricks. We’ll bet this would look great in Little Bird Multi (284yds/100g), too!

Little Bird Lace Sampler Baby BlanketNext up, the Lace Sampler Baby Blanket by Amy Gunderson. Knitted in the round from the center out, it combines several different lace patterns into a lacy heirloom. This design is also in Little Bird solids. Little Bird is a soft and smooth 100% acrylic yarn that is machine washable. It’s a great choice for a project you want to stand the test of time.

How about you? What’s your favorite kind of knit or crochet for baby?