Category: Tiny Baby Things
Crochet: Miao
| June 22, 2009 | Posted by Mabel under Tiny Baby Things |
Miao
Pattern | Amineko Crocheted Cat by Nekoyama
Yarn | Coop Maxima in Pale Yellow
Needles | 3.5mm crochet hook
Yes, this is another toy I knitted up while watching Murder, She Wrote seasons 3 and 4 as well as looking up info on all sorts of things, eg nursing bras, breast pumps and such. (It’s interesting how there are such things as attorneys specialising in motorcycle accidents…we definitely more of those back in Malaysia!!!).
Anyway, this is what people would call an amigurumi toy – a Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small creatures or items like plants and such. It’s usually made up of a few pieces which are stuffed separately and then joined together by handstitching the parts together. In Miao’s case, I had to make two arms, two legs, one tail, one torso, the head, two ears and the piece for the mouth. Looking at the list, it may seem tedious but it is quick and almost mindless work during to the nature of how it is crochet – spiral.
Instead of plastic pellets to give it some weight in the arms, legs and torse, I settled on filling instead to make it squishable. And yes, as you can see, I even gave Miao an attitude to boot! Now to see if Eva will like it…
** Cross-posted on the main blog **
Crochet: The Grey Whale
| June 22, 2009 | Posted by Mabel under Tiny Baby Things |
The Grey Whale
Pattern | Sludgie the Whale by Carrie Melago
Yarn | Coop Maxima in Grey
Needles | 3.5mm crochet hook
Since I’ve been waiting for a while to get some dye-fixer solution in the mail (thus resulting in a halt in my sewing), I wanted to work on something while I catch up on Murder, She Wrote (Season 3). I just can’t stand not doing something with my fingers while I’m watching something. It’s been a habit of mine for the past one or two years – so I thought, why not work on a toy? It’s fast and well, hardly complicated. And we do need a toy or two to keep Eva occupied while she’s in the crib/bassinet and such.
I had read that babies have not much colour sense in the first six months and thus are attracted only to contrast – black & white plus solid patterns like stripes, circles and so forth. So I thought why not crochet up a toy in some grey yarn that I have lying around? Hence the birth of The Grey Whale as seen in pics above and below. I made some changes, choosing to omit the removable water spout and replacing the plastic eyes with embroidered eyes instead for safety purposes. The stuffing is leftover polyfill which I had used in my previous toy project.
While the original whale looks a little bit more happy with a smile and softer, I like my toys firmer and squishable – hence why the “stiff” and morose look. Still, Nil thinks it’s quite cute and personally, for me, it’ll do as a simple toy. I have a couple more toys queued up in my projects list over on Ravelry and I might be just tempted to do a “soft” one like a bear or something. We’ll see how it goes…
** Cross-posted on the main blog **
Double Strap Booties (Crochet)
| February 14, 2009 | Posted by Mabel under Tiny Baby Things |
Double Strap Booties
Pattern | Double Strap Baby Booties by Sylvia Schuchardt
Yarn | Debbie Bliss Pure Cotton in Olive Green
Needles | 3.5 crochet hook
I must admit that prior to starting this project, my crochet skills were absolutely…well, I was rusty at it. So I had some problems reading the instructions, fumbled a little with crocheting into loops and back loops. On top of that, I misread the instructions at one point, resulting in at least two extra ends to weave in. In the end, I ended up with a really awkward looking bootie.
My second one was must better – at least I got the straps right in the middle and didn’t have to frog that much. By the time I finished the top part and the straps, it was safe to say that I got the pattern down to pat. It’s not really all that bad for someone as rusty at crochet as I was/am.
I would, however, work this with another yarn instead of this Debbie Bliss yarn even though the bootie turned out alright. It frays easily and has little to no structure of its own. Trouble is that I can’t seem to find much worsted weight cotton or linen here. Am currently working with some Rowan All Seasons Cotton and that seems to be much better for this sort of work! Still, any other suggestions from you knitters?
*cross-posted on the main blog*
Junior’s Lilac Vest
| February 9, 2009 | Posted by Mabel under Tiny Baby Things |
Junior’s Lilac Vest
Pattern | Baby Yoda Sweater by Cari Luna
Yarn | Coop Maxima in 1519
Needles | 4mm circulars
My first FO project is a lazy one, honestly. I had initially started this with good intentions of knitting a real sweater but over time, it just wasn’t doing enough for my knitting mojo and by the time I got to the sleeves, I was out of steam and I mean really out of steam.
So I decided to frog the sleeves, forgo like four balls of Coop Maxima still in my stash, and just turn this into a vest. As you can see, I even delayed on putting in the buttons; my excuse is that I’m looking for the right buttons…that’s if I can bring myself to actually go looking for them in town. It’s sad, I know.
Still, Nil and I think this is a pretty cute outfit – I’m making it really flexible…in other words, I’ll be adding about four buttons and the side seams can be removed easily, turning them into poncho-like structures which can then be closed by using simply braided “ropes”. Even without these modifications, this vest can be worn from 0 to 6 months making it really lasting.
In the meantime, it’s off to work on my other WIPs. Yes, I finally got back my knitting mojo!!!!!!!!!!! My spinning has taken a backseat but it’s ok….those woolies can wait a while. 
*cross-posted on the main blog*
The start of some baby knits!
| April 21, 2008 | Posted by Mabel under Tiny Baby Things |
With less than nine months to go before Junior is due and before winter hits, I thought I had better get started on some serious baby knits. Well, there is the cost factor to consider as well. I didn’t want to spend a bomb on clothing that Junior would definitely outgrow in a few weeks’ time so I thought knitting it would be cheaper plus I could always recycle the yarn for other things.
I moved this section of my knitting adventure from my main blog because I wanted the freedom to talk about the choice of yarn, design and what-not. And that I thought wouldn’t quite fit into the main blog very well…
So far I’ve got most of my baby knit stash set aside; mostly made up of acrylic (I know!), and superwash wool/baby wool (wool suitable for babies). The baby wool will be reserved solely for sweaters and jackets, so it won’t come into contact with Junior’s sensitive skin. Acrylic will be used for hats, booties and whatever else that comes my way. I’m planning on getting some cotton for the summer months but we’ll have to wait for more $$$ to come in from my writing on the main blog.
Okay…back to the knitting. Here is the current list so far…
- Baby Sachiko Kimono Sweater
- Baby Sock(s)
- Baby Yoda Sweater
- Boat Neck Sweater
- Curlicue Blanket
- Cabled Baby Hats
- Easter Peeps
- Elefante
- Jacket with Moss Stitch Band
- One Hour Bib
- Provence Baby Cardigan
- Sneaker Booties
I hope to add more but we’ll see if my knitting speed demon can catch up…
