Knits for kids

If I could, I'd knit for every pregnant friend and acquaintance of mine. With the constraints on my time these days, however, I have to knit selectively, and it does tend to be for first babies. 

Exhibit A: HB-inspired Baby Sophisticate sweater

We have friends from New Zealand who just had a baby boy in the summer; my mom, my sister Hannah and I put together a care package to welcome him to the world. My contribution was meant to be Canadian, but in an understated, non-red-Maple-Leaf way. (Not that I have anything against the maple leaf, it's just hard to knit them into things, and red wool can sometimes bleed colour. That would be no favour to a new mom.) So I worked up this version of Linden Down's Baby Sophisticate jacket, this time using the colour scheme from the famous Hudson Bay four points blanket, which I found out later was made from a blend of Canadian and New Zealand wools! Does it look familiar? I made the same one for baby M about a year ago. Incidentally, it only just now fits her, dainty thing that she is. (I miss my chubby baby!)



Exhibit B: Sweet Pea cardigan & hat

My friend Kyra and her husband Matt are having their first baby, a girl, this fall. Kyra was so sweet and generous when both my girls were born, and I knew I wanted to make something special for her daughter. This was a pattern I already had. I asked Kyra's opinion on a colour, and then I bought the most beautiful yarn I could find. It's an incredibly soft bamboo blend.



Exhibit C: Birthday Fair Isle

This one's for my very own firstborn, and as another first, D chose the colours for this sweater. She is likely unaware that most almost-three-year-old girls would name purple and pink as their favourite colours. This was a quick knit, just three weeks. For maximum wear potential, it's made of acrylic yarn. Spoiler alert: M's getting one for her birthday, too, but with pink as the main colour.