Tiny Stars

One of the most satisfying things in the world to me is to spend time knitting and crocheting baby items. They are so like the sweet little bundles they will eventually find themselves snuggled around: tiny, soft, warm, delicate, and beautiful. Making a special gift for a baby can be done fairly quickly and conveys love to the expectant parents. When invited to a baby shower or "sprinkle", I much prefer to give a handmade gift than something purchased. A handknit item can be passed down through the years and achieve heirloom status. This set pictured above is one of my favorite baby gifts. I've used various fibers over the years but have decided I prefer Knit Picks Andean Treasure above all else. It's soft, breathable, one hundred percent baby alpaca and is available in an array of beautiful colors. Pictured here are Cherry Blossom, Fog Heather, and Finnley Heather. The hat is "Baby's Cabled Milk-Silk Cap" designed by Susan Boye. The leg warmers are "Cashmere Baby Leg Warmers" designed by Patti Ghezzi. 

 The lovely golden hat pictured above is "Merino-Silk Cables for Baby" designed by Isela Phelps. The buttery soft and bouncy yarn used to make this cabled hat is Sirdar Sublime Baby Cashmere. If you love to knit tiny baby hats you will really love this hat! It is too precious and it's unisex. So it's a win-win pattern and gift! A mommy can pass it along from baby to baby, especially when it's knit in a neutral color. What's not to love?! The patterns for both hats and the leg warmers can be found and purchased in this book on Amazon.

My absolute favorite baby booties (shown at top in the pink set) "Cute Cables" are designed by Frederique Alexandre and can be found in the book featured below, which can also be purchased on Amazon. The somewhat squared toe and multitextured effect of these booties never fails to cause delight, not only in the recipient, but in me every single time I knit a pair. They simply make me happy. Also, once again, they are unisex, making them an absolutely perfect pattern to return to time and time again.

There truly is something special about a couple of stolen hours in an afternoon spent quietly knitting baby items that's different than doing anything else. The stitches hold a particular charm unknown to all other pursuits. One can almost smell that magical essence of baby as the needles glide along smoothly. Baby knitting takes therapeutic value to a whole new level of nirvana. It must be experienced rather than described. If you love it like I do, you understand; it's a feeling, not an action. 

Choice of color and adding embellishment (or not) makes this exquisite cabled earflap hat unisex also. For my favorite go-to crocheted rose and leaf pattern you can hop over to Attic 24 and whip up as many May Roses as you like.

Few things fill my heart with the same measure of joy as the sight of one so fresh from God nestled warmly in one of my handknit items. Babies are like tiny stars dropped down from heaven sent to add sparkle to all the dim corners of the world. They grow and shine their light into every crack and crevice, helping us to focus on the bright and beautiful things in life. For that we owe them a great deal.

•                 “Like stars are to the sky, so are the children to our world. 
•                                          They deserve to shine!”
•                                           Chinonye J. Chidolue

Alpaca Love

My current knitting love affair is with Alpaca.

For those of you who have either

 knitted with this sumptuous fiber

yourself or have been the recipient

 of a gift made in alpaca or baby alpaca,

you totally understand the allure.

Alpaca is softness personified.

As it floats through my fingers...

 I lose myself in a daydream.

I feel the tension rising up and leaving my

 body as my mind relaxes into the rhythm

of needles while this delicate fiber dances along,

 whispering in soothing motions to my soul.

Quite happily, my last couple of custom orders

called for either Alpaca or Baby Alpaca.

The hat on the left is made using Knit Picks

Simply Alpaca Aran

in Alma, which is a soft creamy almond color.

Though it comes in hank form and I have two yarn swifts,

sometimes I find the slow process of 

hand winding yarn into a ball very soothing,

which is why you see it that way as opposed  to a yarn cake.

What I really love about this fiber is that it is unbelievably soft.

Also it is undyed and unbleached meaning that all the colors are 

naturally occurring and there are no chemicals involved,

making it a wonderful choice for sensitive skin. 

This was the first time I had used this particular alpaca yarn

 and I ordered only the one hank to see how I would like it. 

I've already decided I will be using it from now on.

The smaller hat on the right is knit from

 Andean Treasure, one of my favorite

Baby Alpaca's that I've used many times from Knit Picks.

This yarn is a Sport Weight. 

The hat is made in the color Fog Heather and I used

Dogwood Heather to crochet the little rose

for the larger hat to girlie it up.

While we're on the subject of "girlie-ness"

you'll see I've sewn a glass pearl into the center of the rose

for that extra touch of sweet femininity.

There's a pair of booties to go along with the grey hat.

This smaller set is for a baby boy. 

I love the versatility of the cable knit ear flap baby hats and booties

because I can knit them for either a baby girl or boy.

Over the years I've used wool, wool blends, 

organic cotton and cotton blends

to make these hats and booties.

Sometimes I sell them in sets and other times individually.

They are oftentimes my go to baby gift for family and friends.

My grandkids came home from the hospital in them.

I have to say I love them best in the alpaca or baby alpaca.

What a perfect way to combine two of my favorite things;

knitting for babies and knitting with alpaca.

As heavenly as these luxury fibers are to work with,

the real moment of pure ecstasy happens when the

item is all finished and I run my hands over it

and even gently squish it around.

There are times I even make my family

 give a little squeeze to the hats

 because I just love that divine feeling so much!

I'm telling you,

 if you don't work with Alpaca, 

you are missing out!

It's a whole mind, body, spirit experience

 as far as I'm concerned.

Also, it is absolutely perfect for delicate

baby skin that has just arrived fresh from God

and needs to be kept warm and snuggly.

Alpaca isn't prickly like wool and contains no lanolin,

causing garments made from it to be comfortable and hypoallergenic.

It's also warmer than wool and naturally water - repellant.

So if you have a little one in your life

or feel the need to wrap yourself in the 

most incredible softness you've ever known,

 I recommend you try some of this fabulous fiber.

I promise,  your heart will be blessed either way.

"Babies are such a nice way to start people."

Don Herold

M'Lady's Rosy Cloche

 

I'm sneaking out of the Pumpkin Patch just long enough to show you a few new items I listed yesterday in my Etsy Shop ~ Front Porch Knits. They are my absolute favorite ladies hats in the world! I love the pure luxury of 100% Baby Alpaca. Nothing beats the sumptuous softness. And  crocheted shells always lend that light, lacy air of femininity. Then, of course, the real Ooh~La~La factor for me is the ROSE!  { I have a confession to make ~ I so much prefer ROSES to pumpkins...shhh.... don't tell that to anyone in this town right now... I may get tarred & feathered!}

 

These fit close to the head and give a bit of a vintage~flapper girl look when worn. The rose goes to one side. They are very charming and actually quite warm. Though they are somewhat lacy and airy due to the sheer nature of the crochet, the Alpaca is very insulating. Quite soft and snuggly!

 

For a better peek at them  go to frontporchknits.etsy.com

 

Well, I really must say TTFN {Ta~Ta~For~Now!} and get myself back to the pumpkin patch.

Want a sneak peek of today's pumpkin finery?

 

 

It's patiently waiting for me to grow it into a Pumpkin Pincushion.

More on that in the next day or two!

 

So My Dears ~

Be Healthy ~ Be Happy ~ Be Blessed ~

Until we meet again!