Episode 45: Baby K-boom!

Episode 45: Baby K-Boom (35:17)

So many babies!

Gifting for babies--what to knit and who to knit for? Sweater vs. blanket?

Daphne's Cape
Baby Kimono of yore
Crayon sweater of yore
Baby Surprise Jacket (BSJ)
Half-pipe Hat
Dream in Color Smooshy! (actually the hat was knit in Classy!)
(To clarify, the dad hated the NAME Lois, not the actual baby)
Trellis
Organic Guernsey
Peapod Set (scroll down for the PDF)
Hoover Blanket
Graphic Block Throw
Crumpets Baby Dress
February Baby Sweater
Yo-yo's baby bag (scroll down)
Kate
Diamond Seed Baby Jacket 
Sullivan in the Diamond Seed Baby Jacket

Stop! Stitches-time!
On Friday, we head to Stitches West, where west coast knitters go to pay homage (and money) to the revered base of our craft.

Jenny: Brooks Farm, Lisa Souza handspun
Nicole: Books & patterns, single skeins from Webs, John's sweater prospects, Lisa Souza

Please say hi! We will be loitering outside the doors of the Marketplace around 4pm on Friday, otherwise just come up and say hi if you see us.

Drawing: Make any donation to The House that Yarn Built in the Make It Right* fundraiser to re-build homes in the Lower 9th Ward. Let us know in an email with the subject heading: The House that Yarn Built and you will be entered to win a prize package that we are putting together. It will contain Stitches goodies! You can also let Christy, the founder of the House that Yarn Built know that you donated and enter her drawing as well! Donate to enter by March 18th!

*Don't get scared, that's just Brad Pitt talking!

Winner of the IK magazine is Danielle P. You have an email from us, Danielle! Please respond with your address and I will send it out ASAP. We had 107 entries, thanks for playing!

Music:

DIg Me Out: Sleater Kinney
Faded from the Winter: Iron and Wine
The Macker's Last Stand: Continental

Comments

[Sharon]

I feel the same about showers, while I have had my kids and suffered through showers, as the mom to be I was just as uncomfortable. I loved Nicoles, "Here, take a bib." and chuckled outloud here at my desk. While I love making things for people who are very close to me, I would prefer to go to my local dept store and send a nice gift when the baby is BORN. :)

I love your podcast, I have said this before but I so look forward to Tuesday mornings and seeing it pop up in my Bloglines.

New Orleans is a good charity, I intend on donating :)

[Jasmin]

Knitting for babies can be futile. If timed (and sized) poorly, the sweater gets tossed in a box and forgotten.

I've found that there's a delicate balance between when the baby is born and the sizing of the sweater. Make the sweater too soon, and the baby doesn't get maximum wear out of it. Make the sweater too big, and you risk the child having opinions about wardrobe selection.

Here's my formula:

[Months until winter]-[Baby Birth month]+ [a little room for growth] = Perfect sized sweater

I totally overthink this stuff.

Additionally, I find people who really enjoy showers are usually the "special day" kind of people. Not my thing, but I love cake. So, I take my gift, shut up, eat my cake, and always win the stupid "how big is she around?" game.

See you at Stitches!

[Chelsea the Yarngeek]

Great podcast! I love making baby items for gifting. I'm just about finished with the Cargos for my nephew. I just have to sew the pockets on. The items that are received the best? Baby socks (because they stay on), sweaters with matching earflap hats (for winter babies), and baby washcloths.

[tarahsolazy]

the BSJ is a magical baby sweater. I knit one in Blue Sky Alpacas sportweight, in aqua, for my now 10.5mo old daughter. She wore it home from the hospital last April at birth, and still wears it now, at 20lbs. Its some space-time continuum thing. Your niece/nephew will get lots of use from a sock yarn BSJ. Loved the podcast, as usual.

[Sarah]

Trellis is a cute sweater, but it's also incredibly fiddly. I've knit one (my one and only), and I swear it took me more time to do the finishing on it than it has for any adult sweater I've knit.

The BSJ, on the other hand, is a snap to finish and is always adorable. The really nice thing about it is that because garter stitch is stretchy, it "grows" with the baby. I just finished three BSJs for a set of triplets. I think the last one took me about four days because I was so excited to get them all done!

[Leslie]

thanks for another great episode. i love knitting for babies -- the projects (even a sweater) go so much quicker! as a mom, i appreciated any knit baby gift (and i had babies 5 & 6 years ago, before i was a knitter). i even liked those knit "soakers" (diaper covers). i especially loved the blankets -- definitely heirloom. i think hats are a terrific baby gift and if it doesn't seem like that substantial of a gift, you can knit maybe 3 of them in different sizes so the gift will last longer. as you mentioned, it's a great stash-buster. you can create striped color combos you wouldn't otherwise think of or add a pretty knit flower to a basic rolled-brim hat and make it really special. i also think knitted toys are great. they are cute decorations for a newborn's room but eventually the kid will actually play with it! i hope i get to see you guys at stitches -- i will be there friday morning. and nicole, how excited are you for the new season of ANTM?! leslie

[T2]

I haven't listened to the show yet, but I saw the great quilt in the picture and wondered if you'd seen the crochet sock monkey blanket in Debbie Stoller's Happy Hooker. Very cute.

On an unrelated note, the Martha Stewart website has a pattern for sewing wool berets and I instantly thought of Jenny.

[renee]

Thank you for saying out loud things that I have often thought myself. I feel the same way about wedding showers. I wholeheartedly agree with jasmine on the I love cake so I suffer through it part.

If it's someone I barely know, I don't even bother sending a gift, unless that person or their immediate family is a really nice one.

I thought the rule was that if you don't go, you don't have to buy a gift.

I also have to say, I love it when somebody signs up with a gift list of what they want. It gives me a price estimate and I know it's something they actually want versus giving them a gift they might not like. This lady I used to work with is pregnant, and she signed up with Target. I accessed her wish list online, paid for it, and it is being e-mailed directly to her! I love that!

[Deborah]

I know you're already off the baby blanket idea, but I just wanted to say that I'm currently knitting the Hemlock Ring Throw, and I think it would make an amazing baby blanket. It's going pretty quick and would be great for a baby if done in superwash wool or cotton.

I agree that baby blankets are something you get a lot of, but the Hemlock Ring is just so lovely and different. (and did I say quick?)

[itsjustmeghan]

Believe me, you are NOT the only ones that HATE showers. I went along with the wedding showers people threw for me, and felt uncomfortable the whole time.
My baby shower I had was just a big birthday party for a baby who wasn't there yet. My husband, my dad, all my brothers and guys in the family/frieds were there so it wasn't a "womans" party. we had REAL food like italian beef and meatballs, and NO games were allowed! Pretty much, we hung out, ate, gave "birthday" presents to the baby, and had a great day.

good luck with all those baby showers! hahaha

meghan

ps. i heart your podcast

[Beverly]

Finally had a chance to listen to the episode. You mentioned Yarn Barn of Kansas. That's my LYS!! I didn't realize they had representation at Stitches. Very cool.

[Sally Villarreal]

I am against knitting baby blankets, because once you knit one, you have to knit everyone one. I keep running into people at knitting groups who are desperately trying to churn out several baby blankets for their friends.

Hey, I have Strange Harvest in my stash!

Go with hats, absolutely. Quick, easy and they even in the middle of summer they stick one on the baby the minute they come out. (Whether they like it or not:)

I agree on the embroidery. The letters on Knucks are all I can handle.

I know what you are saying about the seasonal thing, but you do want them to wear it (but I agree with the demanding gift people.)

*sigh* I want to go to stitches. When will they hold Stitches Southwest?

My strategy for the local Kid n' Ewe fair was to see everything before buying anything. (Of course, I imagine Stitches is way too big to do that.)

[Josephine]

Hmmm...sweaters vs. blankets. I guess it largely depends on my knitting mood at the time of project selection. Baby sweaters generally knit up quickly and can hold my interest, especially if there's a stitch pattern involved. For me, knitting a 32"x32" blanket in stockinette is an ordeal; it's boring, not to mention heavy. Yet, although I like to enjoy some mental stimulation when knitting, I'm just not brave enough to tackle the Graphic Blocks Throw. Sweet Baby of Mine by Marsha Hinkson is enough for me. The blanket is knit on the diagonal in a repeating pattern. The yarn overs at the end of each row create a wonderful border which really sets off the piece. I plan on knitting this in Plymouth Encore Colorspun in the not too distant future.

Can't wait to hear about your exploits at Stitches West!

[Trudy Gongora]

I so much enjoy listening to your podcasts!
I just got a Mac for Christmas from my daughters and can now go wild on the internet at home (they frown on too much surfing at work). I found your podcast through Ravelry and now I'm listening to back episodes and having such a good time. I love listening to your reviews of yarn stores in the bay area. I have visited Knitterly in Petaluma everytime I visit my daughter and just love it -- even though I have great lys in the DCNoVa-Md area. I highly recommend it.
Baby knitting: I made two bsj's for my first grand-daughter - out of Koigu! She fit into them for about a week! But hats are great!

[Kelly]

Baby Showers are the only showers that I will go to. I detest Bridal showers. I don't resent giving a gift to a baby, but a bride...especially when I'm going to the wedding too. Ehk!

As a knitter, most of my friends that have babies expect hand knitted gifts. This is my own fault however, since I'm the one who set this cursed presidence.

I'm knitting the baby tulips cardigan soon - when I get the kit in the mail. I'm surprised that this one wasn't mentioned since it does appear to be popular on Ravelry.

I've also knit EZ's baby surplice jacket (from Vogue Spring '07 I think). This is so cute and really grows with the baby.

[Katerina]

My SIL told me the same thing about blankets - she says EVERYONE gave her one,(some handmade some not) so she has tons.
I keep meaning to knit Anouk by Kate Gilbert (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/anouk)
for my niece because it's super cute as a dress when she's small, and then it's a great little tunic for when she gets bigger because of the buttons-straps on the sides!
Plus, it can go under a t-shirt or a turtleneck for any season.

[Suzie]

I'm catching up with the podcasts, but just saw Continental in your post. Cool! I work with Gabriel from that band!

[Janice]

I loved your comment about the awkwardness of being at baby showers of people you hardly know. And the humiliating games they make you play! AGGGHH! Yes, I love knitting baby stuff too. Since I work at a school with lots of young teachers, it's given me ample opportunity to knit plenty of small scale items (hats mostly, some sweaters, need to try making booties - and now, probably never a blanket)