When I first heard that my good friends Anne and André were expecting, I started thinking about possible gifts for their baby. I had grand plans! Lots of sewing and knitting alike! Of course, being the master procrastinator that I am, time flew by and mere weeks before their due date I had completed nothing. Scratch that! I had started nothing! However, on one of my many ravelry searches, I found Susan Anderson’s Leaf blanket and fell in love! So cute! But I quickly abandoned the idea as the chunky Spud and Chloe yarn that the pattern called for is difficult to come by in Toronto and is a tad pricey for an infant blanket that would get such limited use. Then I made the mistake of showing the pattern to Anne and André and the next thing I knew the yarn appeared at my door. Decision made and the knitting began!
This is the first time I have knit at such a large gauge and it took some getting used to. Nonetheless, at 4 stitches/inch, this came together quickly. I added the finishing touches at Easter brunch and handed it over. Baby was quickly swaddled in it and sure seemed content! Parents also seemed pleased… André said that it was like a gift from Elrond! A high compliment indeed! More for Susan B. Anderson than me, I think…
Please welcome baby Émile.
My ravelry notes can be found here. The only change I made to the pattern was to add a second button a few inches below the first. We found that it was hard to keep the baby swaddled with only the single button suggested in the pattern.
Since I can’t resist making things for this little guy, I also made him the very simple (but always useful) Aviatrix hat, which is available as a free ravelry download (project notes here). If you’ve never made this hat then I suggest you give it a try! It’s construction is unusual for a hat (it’s knit flat and then stitches are picked up at each edge to form the ear flaps) and it’s FAST. Parents also really seem to really appreciate the chin strap… even if it does have an alien-esque look to it!
Here is the adorable Émile modelling his hat.
A massive thanks to André for providing the lovely images of his son.
Now I have an odd desire to go and watch The Lord of The Rings. And maybe a little Alien vs Predator…
Sara
hamiltonchicklets 