Easy Does It

You know I'm a loyal knitter -- but sometimes I can't resist the speed and versatility of crochet! Especially when it's this sweet little pattern from Josiah + Co, which I've had saved for ages. Having just finished up Kit's baby blanket (which I still haven't taken pictures of), I wanted a quick, simple project.  

It's only my second time using a crochet pattern (instead of a video tutorial), and it did present some difficulties! Mostly due to the lovely but confusing mock invisible join -- it hides the transition to each new round beautifully, but I just couldn't figure it out. In the end, I improvised a bit and am happy with the results. I would love to improve my confidence with written crochet patterns, though, as I still feel at a bit of a loose end and usually have to "practice" more than I'd like. Good thing crochet works up quickly! I was able to make both pairs of booties in two evenings, and I think I could cut down on that time significantly now that I've had some experience.

Even though I used a worsted weight yarn, I needed a smaller hook than called for and my booties consequently are smaller than the pattern dimensions. But my babies have traditionally had small feet, so I don't think that's a bad thing! The rust booties (KnitPicks Wool of the Andes in Persimmon Heather) are knit in the smallest/newborn size, and ended up at 3 1/2" long (instead of four). 

For the blue booties, I knit the 6-12 months size in the hope that they'll fit at the same time as Kit's Summer Cardigan, as they're made with the same KnitPicks Wool of the Andes Tweed in Marine Heather. I'm guessing both cardigan and booties will be roughly 3 months size, but I suppose that depends on how big this baby is, and how quickly he grows. 

 I decided to use tape yarn for the ties -- in this case, Hoooked Ribbon XL yarn in Sandy Ecru (a colorway that is apparently now out of stock). I'm kind of curious what it's like to knit with, but it works beautifully for this purpose. And at only a yard per bootie, it's destined to last a while! 

For now, Kit seems content to keep his little feet tucked up against my (ever growing) stomach, and that's all right with me. We're nearly at full term -- it's hard to believe his due date is less than a month away!