Baby Boom continues...

I've been churning out the baby knits. 

First, a hat & cardigan set for a little boy due in November;

Cardigan Pattern; Sweet Bunting by Laura Chau

Yarn; Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK

Hat Pattern; made-up.

Buttons; from Studio 54 in Blackrock

For the cardigan I (obviously) ignored the wee colour pattern. I just wanted a relatively seamless cardigan for an infant. 

I knit a wee hat to match with some of the leftover yarn. It's made from a mixture of previous patterns. I'm usually one for knitting in the round where possible, & avoiding seams. However, I don't like the appearance of coloured stripes when knit in the round.

Yarn; DK weight

needles 4 mm ( I used 3.5 mm for my loose tension)

Tension; 22 st / 10cm

Cast on 74 stitches (2 stitches for seaming); knit flat; knit 2 x 2 rib for 2 - 3 centimetres.

Then knit in striping stocking stitch for 10 centimetres.

Decreases; Row 1 (RS)Knit 1 *knit 7, k2tog* (across row) knit 1

Row 2 and all WS rows; purl

Row 3 Knit 1 *knit 6, k2tog* across row, knit 1

Continue in this way, keeping first and last stitches as seam stitches, until you decrease to 6 stitches. 

Bind off first & last stitches over the next round; knit last 4 stitches in icord until long enough to tie a wee knot.

Sew seam using mattress / ladder stitch.

I may or may not have had to fudge those last couple of decrease rounds. I intend to knit a few more of these, to use up partial balls of DK weight yarn.

This baby boy already has a 3 year old sister who loves hats & the colour purple, so I decided she deserved a gift too.

Pattern; Capucine by Adela Illichmanova (Ravelry Link)

Yarn; Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran

Needle; 4.5 mm circulars.

Buttons; from stash. Heart buttons from A Rubanesque, Crayola button from a previous Knitting & Stitching show

Some of the pattern directions were a little.. vague. Tension, for example. Anyway, this makes a very cute wee hat. I'm a slightly loose knitter, so most others may need to knit using 5 mm needles to get a similar size. I only moved on to the second ball of yarn for the last couple of decrease rows & the tassles. I used sewing thread for the buttons to ensure they were secure. 

Then I decided the other half's niece (now 15 months old) deserved a knit too; using aran-weight leftovers. 

Pattern; Scrap-Happy Celebration Hat by Cosette Cornelius-Bates

 Yarn; leftovers of Debbie Bliss Aran weight yarns

Needles; 4mm

When knit according to the pattern (CO 96 stitches) this was big enough to fit over my abnormally large head; I started with 80 stitches, changed colour when the colour ran out & then fudged the decreases. I also should have added under-the chin ties because 15 month olds are not known for leaving hats on their heads.