Useful Things

What were you this Turkey Day? Anya was a pumpkin--well, for some of the time. She was not very happy about her over-sized pumpkin hat...but I must say she did super well during our little photo session.

In the Thanksgiving spirit, thanks is due to knit blogger and now Bangalore knitting friend, Anjali. She made the cutest little version of Pebble. The crazy part of this whole story is that she first made Baby Sophisticate, but by the time she finished it, she realized I made one too. Then when she was just about putting on the buttons on Pebble, she saw that I made that too. But I told her enough was enough. Send me my gift already (!) And Anjali's Pebble is in a smaller size, so Anya will be able to wear it real soon.

When I started making stuff for Anya, I was on the hunt for practical, useful baby patterns. And I tried to stick to that agenda. And now that the baby is finally here, it is verdict time.

After all the blankets I made, this little kicking sack has been the most useful thing around. (I cant say much about the baby garments, as are 6 months and up size). Made in sock yarn from stash, it is light enough to be worn on a cool night, and yet the wool is good enough for a winter day. And the best part of it is all is when Anya is just hanging out in a t-shirt and diaper and wants a little something. I just pull up the sack all the way to her waist (should I say chest!) and she is good to go. And she cannot kick it off...the way she always does so with a blanket. To make the sack more kicker friendly, I made some increases half way down the project...every 10 rows, about 4 times. Anya is a little kicking machine--if I were to make this again, I would make the increases some more times.

When I started this sack pattern, I thought I would hate it. But the cables were a little joy to knit and the stockinette was mindless bliss. Some people on Ravelry found the pattern too time-consuming because of the sock weight yarn, but I loved it. Its another story that I dont knit socks.

Pattern: Kicking Bag for Babies (free download at Ravelry)
Yarn: Zitron Trekking (XXL); colorway 108; 0.75 skeins
Needle: US 2.5
Size: Newborn - 6 months
Modifications: Half way, I made a set of increases at beginning of the round, and halfway during the round. This was done every 10 rounds, four times. If your kid is a kicker, I would recommend making these increases around 3-4 times. Makes the bag much more roomy.