week(end) knitting

I know there has been a serious lack of knitting content on this blog. I have so many works-in-progress, but they all seem to be adult-sized garments knit in 4ply yarn on 3mm needles. As you can imagine, progress is slow.

In order to get a sense of satisfaction from a completed project, during the August Bank Holiday weekend I  decided to cast on for a baby kimono, as it seems that baby season is coming up and I was after a neat little project that I could complete over the weekend.   Only problem is that my super-quick mini project ended up being yet another garment knit in 4ply yarn on 3mm needles, just baby-sized.

In the end, knitting took a week, rather than a weekend.  Then it took another week or so to get around to sewing on the button, and keeping in line with typical London weather, it took another week or so for the cardi to dry after being washed.

So, weeks after the bank holiday, I’ve got a baby kimono to show, for my soon-to-be-born niece:

This is such a great pattern; very simple but very effective.  I can’t understand why all baby patterns aren’t written seamlessly.  I found the perfect knitting gift tag to go with it:

Pattern: Seamless Baby Kimono by Jacki Kelly

Yarn: The Natural Dye Studio Mirage (Merino/Tencel), less than one 100g skein

Modifications: The only mods that I made to this pattern was to significantly increase the stitch count, to be worked in a 4ply rather than a DK weight yarn.  Oh yeah, and it’s a short-sleeved version for a baby about to be born in to an Australian summer.

I bought the yarn at the recent Natural Dye Studio Open Day.  I don’t usually work in light colours, and I don’t usually go for variegated yarns either, but this stuff was just so lovely that I had to find a use for it.  The merino and tencel are a really good combination.  I wasn’t sure if I would like knitting with the yarn at first, as it doesn’t have the usual sproinginess of merino that I love.   The yarn turned out to be really lovely to work with, with a great sheen and a nice touch of woolly haze.   I had quite a bit left over from the 100g skein:

I can’t wait for my little niece to pop out into the world.