Cutie for a Baby

November 15th, 2010, 12:30 pm

With all the fun of sorting out the Knit-Room, the only knitting that has been done has been a gift for a baby – Let me tell you how that started…

While working together,my friend and colleague, James, made the fatal mistake of complimenting my laptop wallpaper and asking what it was…

This picture…

From Double Vision Cushion

It is, of course, a close up of the back of my Double Vision Cushion. Poor James didn’t know what he had let himself in for and got chapter and verse on how it was only 4 colours, combined in 10 combinations…yadda…yadda….

I helpfully emailed him a link to my on-line pictures of the cushion ….

He was actually rather impressed with my knitting (bless him!) and asked me to make a little something for his new baby. ..

Flattery. Works every time.  How could I say, “No”?? !!

I turned to my Debbie Bliss baby books . Strangely I don’t like her women’s patterns (kinda shapeless and baggy on me) but I think she does wonderful baby things.

I made the Matinee Coat from the first Baby Cashmerino book.  It’s the on on the cover – “Tsk” to me and that habit of mine of knitting the cover shot!

From Baby Jacket

Here’s the finished little sweetie of a jacket….

From Baby Jacket

I have to admit at this point – As someone who really isn’t “baby oriented” (give me a kitten any day) That I hadn’t appreciated how much knitting there was in a baby garment. And they have all the same parts as a grown up garment!! Don’t laugh at this revelation – this is my first knitted baby garment.

I remembered my Mum once saying that you needed to make sure there weren’t bulky seams in a baby thing because they would chafe the delicate skin,  so I short-row shaped the shoulders and was very careful setting in the sleeve…Good enough?

From Baby Jacket

The finishing touch that really makes this cutie is the picot edging around the bottom…

From Baby Jacket

I really wanted to sew in one of my little “Hand Made by Susan Crowe” tapes but was worried it would irritate the baby so I opted for a safety pin – Yes, I know I’m a show off….

From Baby Jacket

I hope James, and his Wife and his daughter like it!!


Completed Knit Report
Name: Matinee Coat
Pattern: Debbie Bliss – Baby Cashmerino
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino
Pattern Problems: None – very easy
Pattern Modifications: Short row shaped the shoulders.
Washing and Wearing: Yet to be gifted!
Knit It Again???: Very possibly if a suitable recipient found!
Difficulty: Easy
Rating: 4/5
Other Postings Relating To This One: None

Populating the Knit-Room

November 8th, 2010, 3:50 pm

The last couple of weeks have been fun in the Knit-Room – more screwdriver action than knitting :-(

I do have lots to show you though- Prepare for photo overload :-)

New carpet is down and nice Mr Ikea has left me a huge pile of stuff to build.

All there was to do was to put the “stuff” in the room according to my cunning plan – you will remember this…

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…surprisingly little went wrong – except for me forgetting that there were light switches and power sockets :-) So every thing shuffled up a bit and I lost some space in the bottom left corner :-(

First we got the Beddinge sofa bed and my my new Norden table in place.

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Norden will be used for my sewing machine when it’s leaves are up and as somewhere to stand my coffee for the rest of the time! It weighs a ton  – Didn’t realise that when I bought it -so not so easy to move around – mainly because of all the really solid, cunningly concealed storage draws…

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Thankfully, the table fits and makes a bedside table with the sofa bed open too! (You had me worried there, Jacqui!)

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“Where’s the wool??”, I hear you cry!

Ok, Ok….

The yarn is in the wardrobes! We built them to have 8 big lidded pullout draws to hold yarn and some shelves for other stuff,  plus some hanging space in the middle for the occasional guest. The wardrobes are from the Ikea PAX range where you buy the frame and chose all your own fittings for the insides….

…And,Yes, I said “8″ draws for yarn…

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I have been good though and only filled 7 of them!… and a big box of handknit cotton but I’m hiding that… One draw has been used for my fabric stash too – mostly left over from making curtains.

Wanna see?

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When not in use, everything is neatly obscured behind frosted glass doors…

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The draws have been filled roughly by gauge…

  • a 4ply draw
  • 2 x DK draws
  • an Aran draw
  • a Chunky draw
  • a miscellaneous “wont fit anywhere else” stuff  draw
  • and of course – an entire draw of my beloved KidSilk Haze…
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By this point in the yarn sorting frenzy,  the men in my life were flaking out…

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Thug wasn’t much help either….

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He did have a chat with me about ornaments  though-

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Thug recommended this display for the table made up of an old vase and my beautiful glass needles…(clever cat, that one!)

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Last thing to show you for now are the books….

They have a new home in two Billy bookcases, complete with beautiful doors (I love those doors!!)

From Knit-Room

I also learnt something alarming about Billy bookcases. If you build them, then try to hang heavy doors on the front, they fall over onto you when you’re screwing the doors on! There was much squealing but no harm done. There is a good reason Ikea give you widgets to screw them to the walls  -take note!! :shock:

I took the opportunity to update my Ravelry library while I was putting all my books and mags away.

I was a little surprised to discover I own 85 books, 83 magazines, 51 booklets and 5 PDFs :shock:
Those of you on ravelry can see the true horror here -> Susan’s Ravelry Library

Here’s some random shots of the insides of the Billys (just in case you’re feeling nosey and want to see what’s inside;-) )

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Even Boofle and Monkey have settled down on the window-sill -Well, they are both knitted!

From Knit-Room

I am so thrilled with the results of the Knit-Room.

I feel a very privileged knitter to have such a room :-D