The story of the double rainbow rug – pattern included!

When is a bath mat not a bath mat? When it’s a rug for the baby’s room instead!

Yeah, that doesn’t really work as a joke or an explanation really, does it? Okay, so here’s the full story…

I wanted to knit a cotton bath mat, and Woolwarehouse had Drops Loves You 5 back in stock (ridiculously cheap, bright and lovely recycled cotton in aran weight), so I figured I could whip one up pretty quickly. (Stop laughing!) A bath mat is just a simple rectangular shape, I thought, not much to go wrong, I thought, (I can still hear you!), so here’s a chance to write up a little pattern.

I agonised over number of stitches, the depth and number of stripes. I worked it all out. I even knitted a gauge swatch. I had a plan.

The baby’s summer wardrobe all stitched up

Maybe it was the return of the Great British Sewing Bee, or the fact that I now have a scrumptious little model (who sometimes sleeps long enough for me to get things done!), either way, my sewing machine has come out of retirement in time to make a small summer wardrobe. (It’s for a small person and small as in only 5 items.)

At first I was very good and raided my fabric stash for what I needed and made a gorgeous little playsuit from some bright floral cotton

Crochet puzzle ball

My daughter is nine months old (already?!) and I’ve only just finished crocheting her a toy. This is nuts, as toys are some of the most fun things to make with crochet (anyone for Cthulhu? dragon? piranha plant?), but I suppose when she was still small and sleepy I was naturally preoccupied with making her things that would keep her warm, like blankets and cardigans.

With my usual level of indecision and poor planning I started making a mobile (which will have to hang somewhere other than over her cot as she is getting to the age where she might be able to pull herself up and grab it), a doll (with small parts and details that she is bound to bite, chew and potentially swallow), and finally an age appropriate ball.

Granny stripe baby blanket and a new pattern WIP

Before I get stuck in to the post at hand and all its yarny goodness, it’s time I stopped dodging using my daughter’s name on my blog. When she first arrived I was so worried about keeping her safe from strangers that on my first trip to the supermarket with her on my own I was too scared to give a straight answer when people asked her name or how old she was. I was so cagey that I tearfully broke down and confessed I was worried that one nice lady was a “baby snatcher” when she pushed for an answer because I didn’t seem to know the age of my own child!

Referring to her here as Baby BAM was a way to try and keep her safe from baby snatchers, I suppose.

A bundle of beautiful baby blankets

 

I love handmade blankets, and I’m proud of the fact that all of my baby girl’s blankets are handmade. Well, except for that one cotton cellular blanket I panic bought after being told it was absolutely the only kind of blanket that was safe for a newborn.

Actually, well-made hand knitted or crocheted blankets are generally very safe for babies as they aren’t too dense for the baby to breathe through if it accidentally covers their face, and as soon as I was reassured with some better advice, I ditched the pastel pink shop bought monstrosity.

New pattern: Rah Rah Boombah baby hat

I love hats. I love making them and I love wearing them, but unfortunately I am naturally very hot-blooded, so I hardly ever get cold enough to wear them! One of the upsides of being a new mum who knits and crochets is the universal insistence that baby should be wearing a hat every time she leaves the house. Baby BAM already has half a dozen hats I’ve made for her, but they are never quite what I want: too scratchy, too big, too small, too easy for her to wriggle out of just enough for her ears to get cold… the list goes on.

Crafty Christening

It feels as though I have no time to spend on making things recently, and yet I have a ton of stuff to write about. First of all here’s my version of the Entrechat cardigan for BB.

Her original one was made by my very talented sister-in-law Paula, who took a chance on making the 12 months size in DK instead of worsted. It fitted so well I was a bit nervous about making the 6 months size

Cuddlesome cardigan for Baby BAM

 

Sadly I didn’t manage to make any of BB’s Christmas presents this year. I had hoped to finish the stripey cardigan I was making in time, but we were just into the New Year by the time it was done. Still, on the plus side, it did mean that I had time to do a little photoshoot with one happy and cooperative baby girl!This is the third time I’ve used Louise Tilbrook’s wonderful Fuss Free Baby Cardigan pattern (which is free to download from Ravelry), and this time I added an extra few stitches to the larger size to accommodate BB’s every expanding portly little tum! I used Drops Cotton Merino DK, which feels gorgeous. I hope it washes well!

Super Simple Crocheted Christmas Stocking

Honestly, I thought it was going to be months and months before I would find the time to write any new patterns. However, it is my beautiful baby girl’s first Christmas and I want her to have a handmade stocking; so after a cursory search through Ravelry I decided to just come up with my own crochet pattern.

Actually I ended up with two patterns

Knitting rainbows for my baby girl

Oh, what a lovely blog post I could write if I had the time! Unfortunately I boot up my laptop so rarely these days that by the time it is up, running, updates installed and temper tantrums done, Baby BAM has woken up from her all too brief nap!

(Which is exactly what just happened. BRB).

Okay, I can try typing with one hand…