which yarn/fibre to use for a baby?

It's a small world! :-)

fabrics

are worth a visit. Thanks - I've actually used them in Winchester when visitingfriends ... I'm not sure I can afford a train ride just to go lookingfor a woolshop though. :-(

Yes, the staff in Winchester helped me to work out how much of a substitute yarn I would need to knit a pattern - sometimes the yarn specified is not the one I want to knit with, even if it *is* still available.

Agreed.

Cheers,

nickie

When my son was little (25 years ago, so not quite in the vintage era) I knitted him a kind of "sleeping bag" - essentially it was like a jacket with a front zip (can't remember if it had a hood or not, probably not) extended down straight into a bag shape. It seemed quite a practical thing. I really want to have practical things I can supply to a new first-time mum with little or no cash. She already knows that she's having a girl, LOL - how things have changed since my day! So as I also know she loves bright colours and pink and purple, I could have fun if I can find suitable yarn in bright colours. I was also thinking about a cot blanket in a chunkier yarn ... I found a nice pattern for applique flowers to decorate it with in one of the books I borrowed from the library.

I don't need first size stuff, but by the time the baby is six months old it will be winter, so warm snuggly second size stuff might be a good bet.

Cheers,

nickie

Thanks!

nickie

Spike Driver spun a FINE 'yarn':

nodnodnod! What can you expect from an old 'boats'??? :D Noreen

Do you have Debbie Bliss' "baby knits for beginners"?

I know there is a raglan in there. It is a little annoying because she has you do it in pieces instead of top-down one-piece (which is how I prefer doing raglans) but the resulting sweater is really cute. The sleepsack sounds like a great idea though!

LauraJ

I have a pattern for such a thing from the 1970s. Find a picture here (bottom item):

the instructions here: needle sizes referred to in the pattern are Imperial. Look at to find equivalent modernsizes. These come from an Australian Women's Weekly supplement called Knit for Baby. They are probably still covered by copyright but you'd be hard pressed to find an original copy - it's not something a library is likely to carry so I won't leave them on my website for ever and although I'm happy sharing them with the group they aren't really for public consumption.

VP

I've not been too impressed with the Debbie Bliss patterns I've seen so far - I'm emphatically not a beginner and don't want to knit in stocking stitch or garter stitch if I can help it. I'm glad there's been a revival of knitting recently, but the emphasis seems to be on letting the yarn do the work instead of being skilled and making intricate stitches. I also find it very irksome that patterns are generally sold in huge books when there might only be one or two items in the whole book that you actually intend to knit. I will look for the book in my local library though. Thanks for the tip.

Nickie

item):

And the instructionshere:> The needle sizes referred to in the pattern are Imperial. Lookat find equivalent modern> sizes.>

Thanks! I can't seem to remember mine having the large chunky overlap at the bottom. I'll ponder on that for a bit. I understand imperial needle sizes much better than the modern ones. You're right to be careful about copyright and I do appreciate your pointing me towards the information.

I may go out looking for supplies today - wish me luck!

Nickie

Yes, I thought that bit overlap a little odd myself but your could easily leave it off and just seam the bag at the bottom.

VP

beginners"?

I know there is a raglan in there. It is a>> little annoying because she has you do it in pieces instead of top-down>> one-piece (which is how I prefer doing raglans) but the resulting sweater is>> really cute.>

The Debbie Bliss childrens patterns seem to run huge, from what I 've heard. It's good to make them a little larger for growth, but hers are ridiculously big.

sue

Excellent point, Sue, you are exactly right and I should have mentioned that in my first post. And actually I have found them to be "short and squat", i.e. relative to the width they are far too short in length. I know baring one's midriff is all the range in the tween to teen set but I'd rather not have my not-quite-toddler sporting the look (now or when she is a tween/teen!)

LauraJ

Since younger children grow faster in length than width, it'd be better to adapt a smaller size adding more length to allow for a year or two of growth.

sue

Nickie Please let me know what you think of any of those shops. I've never actually managed to get to any of them, a trip into London is a major outing these days unless it's to visit DD2, who lives in Bow. I might manage a trip if it involved yarn shopping though, I do enjoy fondling nice yarn! Love & higs Christine

On Feb 22, 4:21 pm, " Christine in Kent, Garden of England" wrote:

I posted this after visiting Stash in Putney - under a message header of London (UK) yarn shop review (I think?)

I went to Stash yarns in Putney yesterday - lovely shop full of imported yarns, nearly all natural fibres.

helpful staff. When I arrived there was a knitting lesson goingon and the five or six chairs in the shop were occupied by that.There was just about room for me to look at patterns and yarn as welland one of the owners helped me pick out a couple of very nicepatterns, one for an all-in-one romper or sleep suit - Oat CoutureBB213 if that means anything to anyone, called "rustic rompers" andanother called "pinwheel afghan" BB205, also by Oat Couture. Thepatterns are not laid out in quite the way I'm used to and I'm notsure about the needle sizes quoted, but then I always end up having touse a smaller needle, so I'll just experiment until I get the gaugeright. Both patterns are for double knit, though the afghan also hasinstructions for knitting it in a worsted weight yarn, which I'm toldequates to an Aran yarn in the UK. I decided that I needed"bombproof" articles, so I wasn't prepared to purchase yarn thatneeded to be hand-washed or that couldn't be thrown into a tumbledrier, so I left the shop without yarn, but I would definitely go backthere if I was choosing yarn for myself!In the end I ordered some Sirdar Snuggly from Angelyarns online - nowthat I have the patterns I can afford to wait for the yarn. My yarn would have been delivered on Tuesday, but the postman just shoved a card through without ringing the bell, which is fairly typical these days around here, so I arranged for redelivery today when someone can be in to listen for it knowing it is on its way. Hope it is more successful, otherwise I will have to trek to the mail depot tomorrow to pick it up. I was very impressed with the service from Angelyarns.

I haven't gone to the Vauxhall shop yet - I suppose I may not now until I need more yarn? But I will post reviews of any of the shops you mentioned if/when I get around to going.

Nickie

Thanks Nickie, yes I read your post about Stash, you never know I might be over there one day, sounds lovely. Love & higs Christine

Nickie you could try and knit the shetland with thin camel threads ,or alpaca threads they are soft delicate and warm mirjam

Is there a window that can be used to watch for the postman, so the waiting householder can dash to the door (with coat or shawl to fend off the cold) and open the door just as he approaches it? Since he didn't ring the first time, just "listening" for the bell doesn't seem likely to work the second time either.

=Tamar

It wouldn't help, as he almost certainly wouldn't even have the package with him. A friend of mine once caught a postman in the act of shoving a card in the box, and confronted him. He admitted that he had left the package at the post office.