Baby Knitting

Pattern: Kid's Fruit Hat by Ann Norling, Jeannee Baby/Toddler Socks

Yarn: Debby Bliss Baby Cashemerino, Pale Pink

Needles: size 6 (hat), size 4 (socks)

Just before I came to babysit a week ago (I'm still here, by the way) I made a cute little baby hat for Jessica to send to a friend. She had hoped I might make a sweater, too, but time ran out, so I knitted up a quick pair of baby socks. So cute. So much fun to make. I sneaked away from babysitting here one night to spend a night in the city with Jessica and delivered this sweet little set.

She has already mailed it to Maggie in North Carolina. I just realized that my little knitted hats have also warmed baby heads in Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Arkansas, California and South Carolina. I know some of the babies' families. Many have gone to friends of my daughters. I've even made them for son-in-law's co-workers and daughter's boyfriend's grad school friends. I'm learning—keep one on the needles at all times!

When I pack to travel, I always pack something to knit. The first part of my babysitting week, Baby Girl slept a little later in the mornings and that gave me knitting time while Little Sister was at school. Our weather finally feels like winter, so a new warm hat for Baby Girl was my choice for quick knitting. (I made Little Sister this same hat in pink a couple of years ago.) How much fun to let her try on the new hat before I finished. I don't usually have the recipient of my knits on hand to try it on in progress. Wish I did!

Baby Girl is a hat lover. She will keep one on much of the time, even with her pajamas. I finished this hat in about a day. I did have to make a quick trip to the fabric store to buy a new pompom maker. The store here only sold the Clover brand. I've been using a Susan Bates pompom maker. They both work fine and make perfect pompoms, but I think that maybe this one from Clover is a little easier to use. Might be nice that I forgot to bring mine from home.

Pattern: Hibernatum

Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted, Pistachio

Needles: size 7

Winter has finally arrived here in the deep South with morning temps in the 20s.  This little hat is a warm one. She'll get much wear out of it. I made the size Small and only knitted 2-1/2 repeats of the pattern to make it a little shorter—a better fit for a toddler head.

I have several baby blanket in my knitting line-up, but what a pleasant break it was to make some quick projects! The little hat/socks set took about 120 yards of yarn. A baby blanket, depending on the pattern, can take 500-800 yards. That's SO much more knitting time. It's good to keep all of this in mind when you choose a project. 

Uh oh. I had forgotten how quick and how busy little hands can be. It's a good thing she dropped the hat down in the floor of the car (where she couldn't reach it) before she completely picked the pompom apart! One strand at a time. Looks like her fine motor skills are excellent. Thankfully, there is just enough yarn left to make another one if she has another go at it.