Vast Right Wing Knitting and Needlework Circle: Baby Stuff

10/25/05 | Knitting a Conundrum

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Baby Stuff.

a bootie pattern from 1845.

Even those of us who don't regularly do crafts will sometimes find ourselves pulling out the pattern books, looking for materials and patterns for our nieces and nephews, sons, daughters, grandchildren.

It can be surprising who does what. Georges Sand the French writer in the 1800s, lady companion of Chopin was married at first to a somewhat boorish, and maybe mildly abusive husband - but when she became pregnant with her daughter Solange, it was he who made the baby things! And what have YOU made for the small fry in your life?

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Tonight, I am knitting baby socks for my grandnephew. I made baby things for his momma, too - afghans to play on, and stay warm with, toys to hug, and maybe a baby bonnet or two. One of my own mama's treasures was a baby sweater that someone had made for me that she kept deep in her cedar chest, and later, I made a baby jacket almost the same for one of my cousins. I have made various baby afghans and wraps for friends and others; once I made some very nicely embroidered baby jackets for the daughter of one of my friends, and she was basically shocked that someone would do that for her. My mom spent hours making stuffed toys for her grandbabies...a couple larger or longer than the kids...

Funny how this works. Anybody else got this bug?

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Vast Right Wing Knitting and Needlework Circle ping!

[cyborg]

I am starting my first cross stitching project this weekend. I am very excited. I hope I find my digital camera cord so I can post the picture.

[Mercat]

I'm working on my seventh baby afghan. I start one and then I find out about that someone is having a baby. It's a mediation with each stitch a prayer. It's my hope that somehow enough people will have babies that there will be someone paying into the social security system when I retire.

[pinz-n-needlez]

I have a slew of friends with new babies or who are expectant. What did they put in the water this year???

I'm spinning up some merino wool, and plan to weave 36" X 36" baby blankets for each of them.

With a white warp, I can do the bulk of the weaving in a white tabby with a bit of tiwll in various colors at either end. I figure they'll take enough fussing to make them special, but will allow me plenty of time to catch up on some dvds while I'm spinning.

I can be loving and lazy at the same time! LOL

Thanks for these great threads, integrating projects and Freeping too.

Pinz

[Knitting A Conundrum]

I used to like to make giant granny squares for baby afghans...easy to do and a good way to use up old yarn.

Once, when my sister-in-law was expecting her first, I had an afghan about 3/4 done that I took with me to the hospital while we were waiting. It wasn't a granny square. It was my favorite row variation for non-lacy afghans - 1 row sc, 1 row hdc, one row dc one row treble, one row dc, one row hdc, one row sc, and back again. My SIL went into false labor twice before the real thing. Sitting in the waiting room, I crocheted until I got tired, cut the thread, secured it, and voila, instant blanket for a quicky nap!

[Utah Girl]

My newest nephew is due on Dec 1. I have already embroidered a little hanging pillow that can be hung on the doorknob to the nursery that says "Baby is awake" or "Baby is sleeping." I embroidered it on white fabric with blue floss. I just bought some blue fuzzy yarn (acrylic) to knit some booties with. And I found a baby fleece that is shades of blue with white. I will make a wreath from the fleece (rolling it up then curling it into a circle.) Then I will wrap some ribbon around the 'wreath' to secure it. I will then start putting baby accessories on the wreath: pacifiers, some Onesies, the booties, a rattle, etc.

Then I will resume knitting a beaded purse. Size 0000 needles, size 8 perle cotton. It make take me the rest of my life to finish it, but I would like to take it on the cruise in November.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

I'm not afraid of 4/0 needles, and have used them to make lace...but I am afraid of stringing all those beads on my thread first...

[Utah Girl]

It was time consuming to string the seed beads on the thread. It took me about 2 hours. The beads come in hanks of ten strings. Just tie the bead thread to the knitting thread and gently pull the beads over the knot. One at a time.

[LongElegantLegs]

Scarves; Bright, scratchy, acrylic-yarn scarves!
The one I knit for my daughter is cotton candy-pink; when I began it, I had no idea that the stockinette stitch would curl! Oops. I kept saying "It'll straighten out after I block it..."
I put a big fluffy fringe on each end, though, and she loves it anyway. My son's scarf was my first foray into ribbing. I alternated using rainbow and black yarn, so it's got wide stripes, and did a very bad job of weaving the ends in. Once again, though, the fringe is his favorite part.
I see a baby afghan somewhere in my near future, as my cousins-in-law are expecting their first...

[alwaysconservative]

I've done more crocheting of baby stuff than anything else (some counted cross). The soft colors and softer yarns have always drawn me.

Your mention of a baby jacket reminded me, though, that I've been thinking lately of old-fashioned bed-jackets for women. (You know, those marvelously feminine, loose and wide-sleeved affairs that one wore when company visited and you were still in bed, usually with a wide satin bow tie. Not that I'm planning on having people visit when I'm in bed, LOL! I just like the look.) I wonder if there are even any patterns for something like this anymore.

[Jemian]

At present, I'm knitting a winter scarf in a checkerboard pattern for my baby. I hope this counts even though my baby is 15!

[Alia]

I had no idea! May I be added to the ping list, pls?

[Alia]

Check out your library. 4 years back, I discovered, at my library, books containing photos and patterns for very, very old knit/crochet patterns. I made photocopies. Many of these books were PHOTOCOPIED from newspapers and periodicals of the time.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

There are plenty of older needlecraft books around...lots of them from the forties and fifties where you might find a bed jacket like that...ebay can be a good source for things like that.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Welcome, Alia! Yep, every few days, something needleworky pops into my mind and I start another post for needlely people...You're on the ping list now!

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Yep...I remember doing my first checkerboard scarf...it's so neat to see the design come out...

[Alia]

Thank you! I've been needling... since I was 10. Taught crochet/knitting by my 4th grade teacher (who was) from Afghanistan. This dear woman taught my best friend and I during the lunch hour at school. Of course, there are some perhaps, who do not realize that "back then" we sewed all our own clothing. We didn't have the department stores and clothing shops. My dressmaker's dummy was useful for so many things, especially for frightening the unwary.. :)

I'm thrilled to encounter a conservative "needling group".

[alwaysconservative]

Thank you so very much! I will check this out later.

[jellybean]

Here is a baby afghan I made for a friend.