Tags
Baby Alpaca Chunky, bamboo, Caron, cascade yarns, children, design, handmade, kids, knitting, knitting patterns, ravelry, Spa Yarn, spring, toddler, toddlers, vintage knits
Lil one and the whole family had a nice laid back day this past Sunday. After church we took a stroll and got cupcakes at our favorite local bakery. Yum! When we got home the sugar kicked in and we had fun outside in the lovely spring sunshine including a game of “Who Dat?” in the mail slot (Answer: Big Bro, hiding on the other side 🙂 )
We went exploring in the early spring garden too. She thought the Andromeda smelled “yucky” and giggled at it, …
… and the Hyacinth was “pwetty” and brought on more giggles. (Gotta love that sugar!)
And of course, Lil One was sporting her new “Sunday best” coat – the Baby Hepburn Crop, V2. This coat is the second one I made to develop the pattern which will hopefully be out in early to mid May. The first was her pink version which was a match to her Birthday Dress. I loved the first one, but as usual I tweaked it here and there to make it fit “just so” and upgraded to a stunning Cascade Yarns “Baby Alpaca Chunky Paints“. I did use the Caron “Spa” again, and it was just as lovely as can be, in the mesmerizing “Berry Frappe” color (or should I call it Purple Hyacinth?). I loved the colors so much I found myself wondering what I could make for myself in these dreamy twilight colors.
This version has a straighter body section and I made the fit through the front just a little more generous so it sits more evenly over the chest. I had another case of buttonhole dyslexia – I know… they should be on the right side. Don’t worry, the pattern will get it right. (I did the same thing on the christening gown, darn it.) Everything else is pretty much the same, and Lil One and I are very happy with it – she loved it so much she refused to take it off all day!
The part I was particularly proud of was the collar. It took me five attempts on the first version to figure out how to make it do what I wanted it to do. I was almost thinking it just couldn’t be done, but those inspirational ladies I’ve mentioned whispered in my ear “never give up”, and I kept ripping and starting again. Now I’ve worked out all the little ways to shape and finish it so it sits just right, and the buttonhole and ends look much more tidy. It was all fairly simple to do, it just took a lot of experimenting to “think” it out. Fortunately for you, my knitting friends, in the pattern I’ve put detailed instructions for the pick-up on through the final buttonhole alignment with photo tutorials to help the knitter see exactly what’s happening. I’ll have all of the juicy details when I officially publish the pattern. For now, I’ll leave you with one more pic of the Lil One showing off that cute little collar around her even cuter little baby face.