Baby Knitting
So, way back in steamy August, my first reaction to finding out that my baby was definitely going to be spending upwards of a month in the hospital was to think that she needed handknits in general, and a cardigan to wear over her hospital gown in particular. Naturally, having a baby that sick means that one doesn’t have time to knit anything at all. And happily, she was able to sleep snuggled under handknit blankets where a cardigan would just have tangled up her lines. But for your knit-lusting pleasure, here are the books I was looking at then:
Knitting for Baby by Melanie Falick and Kristin Nicholas Falick and Nicholas are two excellent knitters whose work I have enjoyed before. This books seems to come from the starting point of someone being inspired by a new or upcoming baby to knit. It starts with very basic instructions and easy projects, working up from simple garter stitch projects knit flat to working in the round, cables, and (fairly simple) colorwork. The projects are attractive and include difficulty ratings intended for beginners, while the instructions are detailed. My favorite projects include the stripy garter-stitch cardigan and the snowflake fair isle, though the more advanced aran pullover, and small balls and teddy are also very attractive. There’s lots of baby knitting books out there, of course, but this is a solid one good for beginners up.
Vintage Knits for Modern Babies by Hadley Fierlinger This book seems on average to be written more for the intermediate than the beginning knitter, though there are still patterns at all levels and it still includes helpful difficulty ratings (because I am a person who could just get sucked in by how pretty a project looks and not think about whether I’d actually have the time and headspace to knit a complicated pattern.) Fierlinger’s introduction includes the intriguing idea of picking one baby pattern to knit for every baby, one simple enough that you can memorize and just plunk them out in between projects or in a hurry, so that you are always prepared for a new baby with your signature baby gift. I like the idea a lot, though there are so many cute baby patterns out there that I’d have a hard time picking just one. I was looking at cardigans, of course, and my favorite was Anya’s Cardigan, a lacy number that reminded me of the ones my grandmother wore. Ravelry says, however, that the most popular pattern is the Vintage Pixie Cap, indeed a charmer. Another strong book, beautifully photographed and laid out, with lots of drool-worthy inspiration for the babies in your life.
Knitting for Baby by Melanie Falick and Kristin Nicholas Falick and Nicholas are two excellent knitters whose work I have enjoyed before. This books seems to come from the starting point of someone being inspired by a new or upcoming baby to knit. It starts with very basic instructions and easy projects, working up from simple garter stitch projects knit flat to working in the round, cables, and (fairly simple) colorwork. The projects are attractive and include difficulty ratings intended for beginners, while the instructions are detailed. My favorite projects include the stripy garter-stitch cardigan and the snowflake fair isle, though the more advanced aran pullover, and small balls and teddy are also very attractive. There’s lots of baby knitting books out there, of course, but this is a solid one good for beginners up.
Vintage Knits for Modern Babies by Hadley Fierlinger This book seems on average to be written more for the intermediate than the beginning knitter, though there are still patterns at all levels and it still includes helpful difficulty ratings (because I am a person who could just get sucked in by how pretty a project looks and not think about whether I’d actually have the time and headspace to knit a complicated pattern.) Fierlinger’s introduction includes the intriguing idea of picking one baby pattern to knit for every baby, one simple enough that you can memorize and just plunk them out in between projects or in a hurry, so that you are always prepared for a new baby with your signature baby gift. I like the idea a lot, though there are so many cute baby patterns out there that I’d have a hard time picking just one. I was looking at cardigans, of course, and my favorite was Anya’s Cardigan, a lacy number that reminded me of the ones my grandmother wore. Ravelry says, however, that the most popular pattern is the Vintage Pixie Cap, indeed a charmer. Another strong book, beautifully photographed and laid out, with lots of drool-worthy inspiration for the babies in your life.