Finished knits

Over the last number of weeks I have been lashing through some simple baby & kid sized knits. Sometimes, miles upon miles of stocking stitch can be very good for the soul. 

First up, Bella by Dani Sunshine knit in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino in Clotted Cream, with some light purple leftovers. This is the second time I have knit this sweet pattern, though I hadn't realised how many ends would result from using the contrast colour! 

Next up, two little short sleeved baby tops. They are both a mash-up of Tama and Beyond Puerperium from Kelly Brooker's Button Lovers e-book. I used the stitch count from the 6-12 months 4ply version of Beyond Puerperium, but joined for working in the round as described in Tama. I've knit both these patterns many times; they are simple but versatile.

The first example is knit in Debbie Bliss Rialto 4ply; the second is knit in Malabrigo Sock. Both garments are sitting in the baby box waiting for some new arrivals to... well, arrive.

Last up, is a hat & mittens set, for a soon-to-be 5 year old who loves the film Frozen. I made these up as I went along, vaguely referring to previous hat & mitt projects for structure. They are knit in Milla Mia Naturally Soft Merino sport weight in that particular shade of ice-ish blue.

I am ashamed to say that the mittens were originally intended as a Winter gift last year. I only picked them up again recently & discovered that my tension must have changed since I began the first mitten, which is visibly smaller than its counterpart. I believe my usually loose tension may have tightened slightly in the run up to December 25th - not surprising with the self-imposed knitting deadlines at that time of year!

The obvious difference in size has been blocked out just enough. It is a good reminder to keep using gauge swatches though! There are a few hibernating projects from around the same time that I think I will need to start over with though.