Errata for Vintage Knits for Modern Babies

Hello there lovely knitters! I just want to update my blog as I have been out of touch for a while. I am so happy with the feedback you have given me about my knitting book Vintage Knits for Modern Babies. Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know how you are finding the patterns. There are a lot of you on Ravelry.com showing off your lovely baby knits. There have been some minor errata detected by keen eyes and so I am listing them here for you. I am sorry if these errors have inconvenienced you at all.

Errata for Vintage Knits for Modern Babies

Organic Heirloom Blanket (page 43) Under directions, after the "tip"
it reads CO 125 sts and it should read "CO 124 sts".

Matinee Jacket (page 27) - (Not Errata but helpful additional
instructions) add a note that says that the photo shows the size 6-12
months size and that the yoke is knit slightly differently on all 3
sizes to accommodate the seed stitch bands.

(page 27 under Materials it calls for 2 (1/2" [13mm]) shank buttons
but it should read "3 (1/2" [13mm]) shank buttons.

Angora Bolero (page 39) Materials should read 2(2,2,2) balls Sublime
Angora Merino.

Pixie Caps and a Giveaway

A few years back when I started designing knitting patterns I was most determined to find a simple and classic Pixie Cap to knit for my baby boy. The pixie cap is a style that totally embodies childhood with its impish peaked hood and face framing rim. As far as I'm concerned, a red Pixie Cap is just about the most classic hat a child can wear and my boys had one in every size and every color. Once I started playing around with designs I realized that pixie caps are really quite simple to knit and easy to master after one go. If you can knit and purl (and make a buttonhole) you can knit a pixie cap.

Every now and then I will get a lovely email from someone letting me know that they like one of my knitting patterns and they send me lovely photos. The pattern that I get the most emails about is the Pixie Cap pattern from my book and also the Tassel Pixie Cap pattern from my PDF pattern collection. Some of the people that email me also send photos and I wanted to share a few of them with you as they are too good to keep all to myself :)


Ali Bloom of India Bloom Photography has taken these beautiful photos of the Tassel Pixie Cap she knit for her daughter in a beautiful natural gray yarn. This photo was taken last year and this year her daughter needed a new hat soooooo...



this year it's all about pink and getting some wheels!

Another cute Pixie Cap is a photo just sent to me this week by Liz who knitted the Vintage Pixie Cap from my book. Liz emailed me just to show me the red Pixie Cap she knit for her daughter and she was especially thrilled because she is new to knitting and found the pattern quite easy and do-able because there are no decreases or increases.


Maybe I am high on Pixie Caps but I'm in the mood for a giveaway! The first 10 people to leave comments in this post will get a free PDF of my Tassel Pixie Cap Knitting Pattern (below) emailed to them. Please leave your email in the post! (PDF patterns will be sent out on March 8th or thereafter)



********winners were sent the knitting pattern on March 8, 2010********

Ecobaby Yarn

This week I came across the new Ecobaby Organic Cotton Yarn from Debbie Bliss which sadly, has not yet hit our shores down here in NZ. This yarn looks beautiful and is manufactured from 100% organic, fairtrade cotton within an ecologically and socially conscious process through the Bio Re textile chain, which integrates farmers, their families and the textile industry as equal partners. The yarn is dyed with non toxic dyes in recyclable water, giving a palette of 16 gorgeous shades making it perfect for all manner of baby knitting projects.

I can't wait to get my hands on it as I love the texture and drape of cotton for some patterns like the Wavy Cashmere Blanket from my book. Because this wool knits up the same as Baby Cashmerino it is a wonderful choice if you prefer to knit with cotton but love the Debbie Bliss color palate. I am very happy that more designers are working with Organic yarns and dyes especially for baby knitting. I plan to use the Eco baby to re-work a few vintage patterns I have in my collection and I hope to share them with you later this season.

Kates Shoes

kateshoes.jpg, originally uploaded by brynne_knits.

Just want to share this little picture of my Mary Jane Booties Pattern (free download) hand knit by Brynne at All This By Hand. There is so much baby goodness in this photo I just had to share!

Ecobaby Yarn

This week I came across the new Ecobaby Organic Cotton Yarn from Debbie Bliss which sadly, has not yet hit our shores down here in NZ. This yarn looks beautiful and is manufactured from 100% organic, fairtrade cotton within an ecologically and socially conscious process through the Bio Re textile chain, which integrates farmers, their families and the textile industry as equal partners. The yarn is dyed with non toxic dyes in recyclable water, giving a palette of 16 gorgeous shades making it perfect for all manner of baby knitting projects.

I can't wait to get my hands on it as I love the texture and drape of cotton for some baby knitting like the Wavy Cashmere Blanket from my book. Because this wool knits up the same as Baby Cashmerino it is a wonderful choice if you prefer to knit with cotton but love the Debbie Bliss color palate. I am very happy that more designers are working with Organic yarns and dyes especially for baby knitting. I plan to use the Eco baby to re-work a few vintage patterns I have in my collection and I hope to share them with you later this season.

Shescraftyness

Welcome back readers! The kids are back to school after a very long break and I am gearing up for a very exciting year as the proprieter of Shescrafty Knits as well working on a few fun projects. My plan for this year is to use my blog as more of an online style notebook for children's knitting as well as offering other inspirations I find along the way... things I think you would like as well.

Many of you may know, my family and I had the opportunity to travel from New Zealand (where we have been living for 8 years) to New York last September. We spend 4 months being New Yorkers and it was quite an exciting time for us as we were completely inspired by all the creative energy around us. The trip co-incided with the launch of my new knitting pattern book Vintage Knits for Modern Babies and so it was a very exciting time for me. I was able to meet some lovely people when I did book signings which turns out to be a great way to find out more about my customers. I learned a lot about new yarns and was hugely inspired by NY fashion.

One of my favorite things to do in NY was searching for inspiration for new designs. I was so in awe of the beautiful children's shops in Brooklyn and Manhattan; Acorn on Atlantic Ave in Brooklyn with it's beautiful toys and hand knitted baby wear. The baby section at ABC Home and Carpet on Union Square. The baby department at Takashimaya on 5th Ave and the insanely expensive kids styles at the Japanese Trico Field in Soho. Yes, I have no shortage of inspirations and so now it is time to get to work designing planning and oh yes...knitting!

New York as we all know is home to some of the worlds best yarn stores and so I also made it my mission to check out as many as I could. My local shop, Brooklyn General stocks many of my favorites and lots of beautiful new yarns I had never seen or heard of. I like to design with yarn that is practical, versatile as well as beautiful so I brought back bag loads of scrumptious yarns that beg to be designed with.

It was a wonderful trip and I can't wait to work on some new patterns and designs with New York in mind. In the meantime, please follow me on Twitter for more updates...