Oh, Pretty Baby

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Baby blanket beforeBaby blanket afterLook at those two photos. If you saw that mass (or mess) of yarns on the left sitting in a pile, would you have any idea that the finished product would look like that infinitely touchable baby blanket on the right? Nope, me neither. I went into Fine Points Yarn Shop on Larchmere in the Shaker Heights neighborhood of Cleveland shortly after my birthday. They had sent me a quite generous birthday discount offer, and I was determined to use it!

My daughter-in-law has suggested that I make a baby blanket or two for her photo studio. She thinks her brides from a couple of years ago, who are now having babies, would be interested in purchasing one of my blankets for their photos shoots with the new babes. So I asked what the ladies at Fine Points might suggest for such a project.

The clerk who was helping me led me upstairs to the baby and child room. When she showed me that pile of yarns, all wrapped up in a plastic bag with a pattern that said “Oh, Pretty Baby: A Baby Blanket Using Bits,” I wasn’t so sure. After purchasing it and scheduling it as my next knitting project, I wasn’t so sure. But 10 rows into it? I was smitten!

The price on the kit was higher than I wanted to spend and the finished project would be higher, I thought, than a new mom would want to pay. Luckily, my spousal equivalent just acquired a brand new great-niece. Guess who’s getting a blanket? Cora is, that’s who.

The pattern couldn’t be simpler. Cast on 95 stitches. Use the base yarn—Schachenmayr Crazy Cotton (the kit used color #82)—throughout. At all times, hold a second yarn, picking up one of the “bits” – the random small balls of yarn. The “bits” can be eyelash yarn or a similar novelty yarn, or they can be chenille or bumpy or, really, whatever. They give the interest to the base yarn. The stitch? Garter stitch throughout. Knit every stinking row. Just keep knittin’. Couldn’t be easier.

After a lot of television shows and audio books, the blanket was finished. (The pattern suggests knitting to 30″. I wish I had gone a little farther, as it’s not quite square.) It’s beautiful. And soft. A nice weight to throw over the baby in the crib or as she’s riding in her stroller.

I threw it into the washer on the hand-wash setting, then into the dryer on a similar setting, then, while still damp, laid it flat on a table to finish drying.

I can’t wait to hear from Cora’s mom when she receives it. It’s truly a one-of-a-kind gift.

Sleepy Bunny

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When I saw the bear and rabbit dolls designed by Debbie Bliss for Noro Yarns, I knew the rabbit was going on my list of projects. My grandson loves bunnies passionately, so the bunny will be offered to him for his bunny collection.

I love Noro Kureyon yarn. A year ago I made a throw for our family room out of Noro Kureyon in their color #321, black/brown/gray. This throw is perfect on our brown couch, and keeps my toes completely toasty while I’m knitting and watching television. All Noro yarns are hand-dyed in luscious colors, with occasional unexpected hues thrown in to help the knitter create magic. While the black/brown/gray is pretty mundane for Noro, the color I chose for Boston’s Bunny, #319 Lime/Orange, was full of unexpected combinations.

RabbitThe thing about knitting with any hand-dyed yarn is not really knowing where the colors are going to change. So when knitting something like a toy—where you’re knitting a couple of legs, a couple of arms, a body, a head, and a couple of ears, then sewing them all together—Is that you don’t know what color a leg will be or an arm will be.

But look at him! Isn’t he darling?! Can you even imagine that Boston won’t absolutely, totally love this bunny?!

I don’t think I’ll make more (um, unless requested). But he sure is cute, and I learned some things about making toys.

Learning is always a good thing, in my book.

My Go-To Gift

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bow@www.wowMy older son visited from Dallas last weekend. In a Monday evening text, he asked if I’d like to have lunch with him on Tuesday. When I woke up Tuesday morning, I realized I needed a quick gift to send back to Dallas with him.

Zip It bagsI’ve made a number of Nancy Ota’s Zip It bags over the past few years. My grandchildren’s teachers received bags for Christmas last year. I frequently give them as gifts to friends who will be traveling.

My favorite use is for all the adapters one needs in this age of technology. No more digging through every pocket in my bag‐they’re all in one place. On our recent trip to Italy, I packed all my jewelry in one of the bags. I made one in the “Project” size to give to my girlfriend who is an event planner for organizations like a university fine arts department and a public radio station. She can keep all her information for an event in one place.

Nancy Ota designed these bags using Phifer PetScreen, a vinyl-coated polyester mesh that was created to avoid pet-claw snags on screen doors. You can buy it in black in rolls of 10′ or so in the screen department of your local Lowe’s or Home Depot. Or several stores sell it in brilliant colors for more variety in your bags.

I always use high-quality quilting cottons, as they will wear better over time than the cheaper and lighter-weight fabrics you might find in your local everything-but-the-kitchen-sink (JA’s) store. I find excellent themed fabrics at eQuilter.com. I frequently gear it toward an interest of the giftee. My son is a network administrator—his bag featured animals sitting at computer screens. My girlfriend, the event planner, received at bag with an opera print. eQuilter has an excellent search function. And when I find a fabric I like, they also have a “Related Products” button that presents the other prints in the line.

Fabric panelThe band of fabric, topstitched to the screen fabric, normally goes on the front, under the zipper. But for my son’s bag, I wanted to display more of the fabric print, so placed it on the back. And I like to edge the fabric panel with a quarter-inch binding of a complementary fabric. (When I couldn’t decide which hand-dyed fabric looked the best, I texted a photo to my friend, the graphic designer, for her input.)

Don’t forget to attach a charm or bead or narrow bit of fabric or embroidery floss to the zipper pull for a little bit more personalization.

Finished bagAnd here’s the back of the finished bag. On the front, there’s just the mesh and a black zipper.

The bag makes up (depending upon how organized you are) in about two hours or less. It’s the perfect spur-of-the-moment gift!