Knitted Baby Gifts

As I'm preparing to start my next knitting project, I thought I'd share some of knitting I've been doing for the various babies which have recently arrived or are on their way. I hadn't knitted much baby stuff before (a hat and a blanket). I decided to go for hats and booties and knit a selection that could be given to the appropriate baby as it arrived. I found that I really enjoyed making them- they're pretty quick to make and look very cute plus are a good choice of knit to make on the move since they're small and portable. I chose to use bright colours rather than pastel baby colours, and hopefully the items could generally be given to a child of either gender.

First of all - the hats. I used the Aviatrix pattern by Justine Turner, which can be found for free on Ravelry:

Hat in King Cole Riot DK - as modelled by Cthulu (Destroyer of Worlds)

Isn't it adorable? I have to admit that this knit was driven by how cute I thought it looked, so I hope it is actually practical. The pattern instructions include a number of different sizes from newborn onwards, plus instructions for knitting in different weights of wool. This makes it perfect for using up odds and ends of wool of all types.

The hat is knitted flat, on regular needles, with short row shaping to create the head shape. For the ear cover and straps, you pick up stitches from the edges. It's easy to make and no sewing up required, apart from weaving in ends. I tried to keep track of how long I spent knitting the hat, and the first one took about 4 hours with subsequent ones a little quicker. I'd highly recommend the pattern, and you could also knit it without the straps, like a little flapper-style cloche hat, which I think would look equally cute.

I've also knitted a version in 4 ply self striping sock yarn (as used for these socks) and am working on one in camel-coloured DK merino (left over from this cabled beret I made last year):

To go with the hats I knitted some booties using the Saartje's Booties pattern, which is also available from Ravelry for free. This is the first pair I made, using the same Kaffe Fassett yarn:

The pattern has the straps fastening across the foot in a criss cross, with a button on each side, however I thought this was a bit fiddly and maybe not so practical, so I am going to put Velcro or a metal popper on the straps so they fasten across the foot like a Mary Jane shoe. I knitted another pair in the same King Cole Riot rainbow wool, and left out the straps completely.

I hope this style is style practical and doesn't fall off too easily. Each shoe took about an hour and a half to knit.

The two sets  of hats and shoes together:

Have you been making anything for babies, whether knitted, crocheted or sewn? I'd like to try some jackets/cardigans next but would love to know any pattern recommendations you have for any type of baby gift.

K x