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Knitting For Babies I love knitting for babies and tiny tots. There's an almost instant gratification factor - you can see progress really quickly and for someone with the short attention span I have, that's a good thing! Here are some tips I've picked up about knitting for babies: 1. Baby yarns tend to be very soft and stretchy - be aware of this when you're working as it can stretch out of shape pretty quickly if you're not careful! 2. And because of this, you may also find that you have to knit at a tighter tension than you normally would. A tip one of my knitting friends gave me was to knit into the back of the stitch on collars and cuffs - that way you'll get a nice tight finish. 3. If you're knitting as a gift put the ball band in with the garment when you give it to the new Mum - that way they'll know the washing instructions.
4. I find stockinette (stocking) stitch the best stitch to use when knitting baby garments as it washes brilliantly forms a nice, tight fabric with no holes or loops for tiny fingers to get caught. 5. Although I’m a big fan of using bamboo needles for much of my knitting, I find that metal needles are best for baby knits. They are smooth and help the yarn slip off easily, creating an even tension. 6. Got some yarn left over? Knit some mittens or booties – they don’t take up much yarn and look as cute as anything! 7. It’s absolutely vital that buttons and beads on garments for babies and children are sewn on securely – they can be choking hazards if they come off. 8. I always knit garments a size bigger than the baby needs now – they grow so fast that you want to make sure they can get the most wear out of it. For newborns I always knit a 3-6 months size. It’s just personal preference I suppose, but I find that most of my friends who have babies are given so many clothes in the newborn size that it’s nice to have some things for when the baby is a few weeks old. Plus, so many babies are born around the 9 pounds plus size – I’d say the majority of my friends have had larger babies. So sometimes the newborn clothes don’t even fit to begin with! 9. My son was born 4 weeks early so it’s a personal passion of mine to knit preemie garments for my local neo natal unit. Have a look at our collection of special preemie baby knitting patterns. 10. Babies tend to grow upwards (or lengthways!) at a much faster rate than they do outwards. This is great news because it means you can always add a couple of inches as the baby grows. Simply unravel it at the waist and cuffs and pick up the stitches to add a few inches.
11. Be careful to choose designs that will be easy to get on and off. Babies hate having anything pulled over their heads so make sure neck openings are large enough so that this can be done quickly and easily. Many designs have buttons on the neck edges to make this easier. 12. The days of having to knit in white when awaiting the sex of the baby are long gone. Go wild and experiment with bright colours – reds, yellows, greens or multi colored yarns are very fashionable – go wild and experiment! 13. When knitting booties go for one’s with ribbing or ties – babies have very wriggly feet and anything too loose will just keep coming off! 14. There are some fantastic natural yarns available but beware of using delicate yarns when knitting for babies. Babies are messy! They need changing a lot! There’s nothing a new mom has LESS time for than hand washing! So do them a favour, use yarn that is easy to wash – preferably machine washable at a normal temperature. Many yarn manufacturers produce baby yarns that can be machine washed – but it’s worth checking the label before you buy. 15. There are some fabulous buttons around for babies and children and they can add a great finishing touch to a garment. Try flowers, ducks, racing cars – anything that takes your fancy! Just be careful to make sure that they fit through the button holes easily – they’re nothing worse than trying to get a wriggly baby into a garment that has fiddly buttons.
16. Babies skin is sensitive. Always buy yarn that is soft and irritant free – avoid mohair and scratchy wool blends. Most yarns designed for babies are blended to be especially soft and non irritant. 17. When knitting for babies still to be born, think about when they are due and knit to suit the season. This gets slightly more complicated when you’re knitting for a size upwards. So for a baby born in spring, knitting a 3-6 month size will mean it’s being worn in summer. 18. Don’t be put off knitting garments for babies born in spring or summer, thinking that they won’t need warm items. Babies cannot keep themselves warm and haven’t developed the ability to shiver to regulate their own temperatures. For this reason, it’s important to keep babies warm, even in summer months. A few cosy cardigans or blankets will always come in handy. 19. If you want to knit a gift for a baby consider making a blanket. Years ago, people would pass baby blankets down through generations – why not continue or even re-establish the tradition by knitting something that you or a new Mum will want to keep for years to come? 20. If you’ve knitted a baby jumper and found that the neck opening is too tight, unpick one of the seams along one shoulder (or raglan, depending on the pattern) and put buttons, ribbons or eye cords on as fastenings.
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