Well hello there! I thought to try to squeeze one more FO-post out of the last week of 2017. I can’t tell you how weird it feels to already be looking back at 2017, but since I might actually write a 2017 review post, I’m going to leave most of the looking back for that post. For now, it suffices to say that although I haven’t blogged as much as I’d like, I have been crafting, and among my makes is a surprisingly high number of gifts.
I’m not a big gift knitter. I know I’m not, and that’s fine. I don’t feel guilty about not making more stuff for others: I love to knit and I love to wear my own knits. This year though I’ve knitted significantly more gifts than other years. Of the gifts I knitted 75%, was for my nephew who was born earlier this year, which makes me think he’s got something to do with it. I guess having a tiny size is a big part of his gift knitting appeal, but being able to melt hearts with toothless smiles doesn’t hurt either.
So a couple of days before Christmas Eve I decided that I wanted to knit him a little something. Now I realise that as he gets older and the urge strikes again to knit him something, I have to adjust the time management on this, but since for now he still is a tiny thing, spontaneous knitting days before a deadline are still achievable.
The pattern is Anders, by Sorren Kerr. It’s a pattern that has been on my radar for a long time. I think it’s stunning, and I loved it before there was a little one close enough for me to knit for. I mean, to be honest it is basically a pattern I could have knit for myself if the size was there.
I used drops cotton merino for the jumper. I haven’t often knitted with this yarn. To be more precise, I think the first time I’ve used this yarn was for something else that I knitted for Luca. I found it difficult to decide on a yarn for baby knits. I wanted to use natural materials, but as I’ve noticed the past few months, being machine washable is not unwelcome when knitting for kids. Drops cotton merino comes in a range of fun colours and as far as I can tell it doesn’t wear too bad, but I’m probably going to have to branch out at some point. Yarn suggestions are always welcome!
This project was also my first time doing a vikkel braid, though I have used variations like the Latvian braid before. I think it’s a beautiful detail. I did leave it off at the cuffs and bottom ribbing, but this was because of time management, so if I had more time I probably would include it. One thing I like about the pattern is how it’s designed to be reversible; it can be worn with the buttons to the back or to the front: the advantage being keeping the buttons safe from baby hands and baby jaws in case the wearer is too inquisitive.
I took two days of frantic knitting, but I’m pleased to say that I actually got it finished on time. I blocked it overnight and might have made use of a blow-dryer in the morning to get it somewhat dry- but dammit I had a train to catch. It was actually still a bit damp in places when the parents unwrapped it later that night, but the blocking succeeded. Turns out, it was dry the next morning, and if the snapshots I’ve been sent are any indication, he’s been wearing it non-stop ever since.
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