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November 13, 2005
Baby Blanket #1
I finished knitting squares for baby blanket #1 the day after the adorable baby Keith --intended recipient of baby blanket #1 -- was born. I seem to have a knack for finishing up blankets just as babies decide to be born. I'm very grateful that Keith decided to postpone things an extra week so I could finish up.
This new blanket is the first pattern I designed and used successfully, so I might write it up and post it here. Each larger square has 16 squares with alternating squares, diamonds, and triangles inside. I experimented with shapes while stuck upstate with no knitting patterns, and the result is really cute. If I made the squares bigger, I could probably come up with a bunch of other shapes. I like the idea that the small and large squares remind me of a quilt, and the shapes are a good kid theme. I wasn't planning on using the colors I ended up with (it was what was available from kyarns.com that didn't clash with my original light blue), but contrast is good for newborns, and it's more playful and fun than your average baby pastels. I used Rowan Calmer, a lovely yarn but not one suited to babies, really, since it can't be machine washed. You can barely handwash it -- the brown bled a tiny bit into the ivory when I was wringing the water out. I know it says on the label not to do that, but who pays attention to instructions like that? As it was, it took two days to dry, WITH help from a hair dryer because I was getting impatient. Here's a shot of the finished blanket (here's a close-up):
For baby blanket #2, I'm using a slightly more machine-washing-friendly Cashsoft Baby DK and I'm doing stripes (same pattern, but without the sewing together at the end, which drives me crazy) -- it probably won't be as interesting, but it'll be very "baby".
We delivered baby blanket #1 to baby Keith today and had a great time snuggling with him and talking to his very happy parents and grandparents. Some photos are up on Flickr. Here's a quick video of Keith hicupping, too (beware, it's a big file: 7.3 MB).
The upside of all this is that we have another completely adorable baby to play with. The downside is that about 5 minutes after entering our friends' house, Derek mouthed, with a pout, "I WANT ONE". Yeah, I want one too, but gimme a break! I'm so not ready for that. Why is it that everyone we know is conspiring to have children all at the same time? Why??? I love kids, but the peer pressure is getting hard to ignore. I found myself at a stoop sale yesterday buying up really nice baby clothes for obscenely cheap prices (I won't have trouble getting rid of it all), and I couldn't help wondering if I should pick some up for us, since, you know, everyone else is doing it... But then I figured that was bad luck. Living in Park Slope is like asking for it, though. I pass two nursery schools and a Kids Kutz salon on my way to the train every morning.
Posted by csageday at November 13, 2005 11:20 PM
Comments
Your grandmother would have been proud, actually probably jealous. Way more of a pattern than her blankets, but are you ready for the argyle socks knitted at the movies?
Posted by: Mom at November 15, 2005 09:30 PM
Definitely not. I can't even knit a stitch without looking directly at it (as much as I try), so knitting in the dark is out. Sock patterns also scare me. And I bet they wouldn't fit anyhow. Anne out-knitted me on that score.
Posted by: Cindy at November 15, 2005 11:25 PM