Thursday, September 25, 2014

Autumn Baby: Pumpkins and Gourds and the Blocking Tomato

Now if that isn't a strange blog post title, I don't know what is...

Autumn is my favorite season. It's the time of year that I feel most alive and energetic. So, when I learned that we'd be having an Autumn baby, I was thrilled. What could be better than a little pumpkin baby, right in time for Thanksgiving?




Pumpkins are a terrific gender neutral theme for an Autumn baby, and Phin and I both love orange. This cute little hat is a free pattern that I found on Ravelry by Jill Albert Allen. It was quick and easy to knit and could not be cuter.

I also knit up some teeny tiny matching baby mitts designed by Susan B Andersen, also a free pattern. She really is my favorite for stuffed animals and quick baby projects. Don't these look like some kind of mini gourds? I think so.

Since I had quite a bit of the orange yarn left over and Trample Herd member Daffy was eager to get her gift for Raspberry done, I knit a second set in stripes, using leftover orange and the leftover yarn that I used to knit Daffy herself. I also omitted the pumpkin vine.

Daffy and her baby gift.

There is something about stripes on a baby that is just so adorable. I'm sure Raspberry will be sick of stripes in no time.

All of these are made from Knitpicks Swish worsted yarn in Orange, Dublin (green), and Daffodil (yellow). For an inexpensive yarn for babies, I think Swish is a good choice. It's merino superwash, which means it's nice and soft and can go in the wash after Raspberry sucks on the mitts or other disasters. Softness and wash-ability are the top priorities for baby knits in my book.

The Blocking Tomato
I've been blocking all of my baby knits by soaking them in Dreft and letting them air dry on my blocking mats. When I was thinking about how to block the hats into a hat shape, I came up with a funny and good solution: the blocking tomato.



My mom likes buying funny kitchen gadgets for me and Phin as holiday stocking stuffers. Some of our favorites are a tupperware shaped like a slice of pizza (perfect for storing that last slice!) and a ketchup bottle lid that is a big monster foot so you can store the bottle upside-down (no more shake-shake-shaking the bottle!). This tupperware is meant to store a cut tomato on the counter so it won't get mushy or mealy in the fridge. But it's the perfect size for baby hats. LOL

If you have ever knit a hat or a baby hat, how have you blocked it?

One more happy Autumn knit picture...

Pumpkins and gourds



PS - I've been posting very regularly lately, but things may be a bit light for the next week or two. We* are painting, removing old carpeting and organizing for Raspberry's arrival. So, not sure how much time I'll have for blogging.  (* By "we" I mean Phin, and I am helping as much as I can, mostly by purging old clothing, books and the other things that accumulate over time. )

18 comments:

Clio said...

Lord, those things are cute. It's the green stalk that totally throws it over the edge.

Clio said...

Aw. I made a pumpkin hat for my daughter when she was in utero, and her in utero nickname was pumpkin. There is something really lovely about knitting for a baby in your tummy (I was still making a blanket for my son while I was in labour). All new babies should have hand knits.

Clio said...

That pumpkin hat is so cute. Perfect colour.

Clio said...

Awww, too cute! Lucky Raspberry!

Clio said...

It kills me. And in person, it's SO small.

Clio said...

I know what you mean - it really is an act of love and makes me feel so connected with the baby.

Clio said...

How cute! I think every parent dresses their child as a pumpkin for the first Halloween (or maybe just my parents?), but yours can look awesomely adorable all winter.

Clio said...

Agh! I'm laughing because I thought I was the only one who used odd objects for blocking! I have a set of mixing bowls in graduated sizes that I use to block hats! I AM NOT ALONE!!
But enough about me....that little cap is too adorable! I think Raspberry also needs a popcorn knit cap that looks like a raspberry. Not that you need anymore projects right now...

Clio said...

So adorable! Autumn is SUCH a great season. That little pumpkin hat is so cute!

Clio said...

Brilliant!!!

Clio said...

Every child in my family (including me at just 4 weeks) was dressed as a pumpkin for their first Halloween, too!

Clio said...

Oh! Hmmm. That's a really good idea! And these hats really do just take a few days of my commute to do... (this is how ideas turn into projects....)

Clio said...

I know! Not my own idea, but I can't remember where I first read this excellent idea. Probably in Knitting Without Tears by Elizabeth Zimmerman, who probably "unvented" the idea, herself.

Clio said...

I dressed my baby as a bunny rabbit for her first Halloween. But then, we lived in the part of the country where Joel Chandler Harris collected/wrote the Uncle Remus stories ... Baldwin County Courthouse has a statue of Br'er Rabbit on its front lawn.

Clio said...

Awww! the stripey mitts look like candy corn! cuuuute!

Clio said...

Oh! They do, don't they! LOL. Now I'll think of them that way. ;-)

Clio said...

Lol, my four were the Michelin Man for their first Halloweens! All that roundy, chubby, baby-ness seemed perfect for the costume!

Clio said...

Cute overload!!!!! Raspberry is one lucky baby!