Clementine’s Baby Kimono
Rowan 4ply Soft 86g
Raincloud shade 387
3.25mm needles and dpns for the i-cord
2 x 25cm and 2 x 15cm lengths of i-cord

Dimensions
42cm chest
21cm length
14cm sleeve length

I would suggest it would fit a newborn baby to about 3 months. It was a sheer delight to make. Di’s instructions were excellent, very clear and easy to follow and the 4ply Soft a dream to knit.

I chose to try the i-cord closures mainly because I always use buttons and thought it would be good to do something different. You may notice the inner closures are fatter because I used 4 stitches for those two and decided a bow would be too fat and wouldn’t sit right. So, the outer two i-cords are knit with 3 stitches to 3.25mm dpns. I suggest you use 3 stitches for all of them. I also found that a bow on the inside was too bulky and disrupted the overall streamlining of the garment, so that’s why they’re shorter using a simple half-hitch. I did knit and attach these all separately but I think it may be possible to knit them directly from the garment especially on each of the front edges. Let me know if you do that successfully.

Here’s a close-up of the front bow. If you want to know how to tie this successfully go to Flickr here.

What a lovely gift for a newborn.

Clementine’s baby kimono has been tested and is now blocking. Carson at Needle’s Edge has also almost finished hers too. Go and check it out! I’m still deciding whether to knit i-cord or not. I think I’m going to struggle to get a ribbon to match this particular colour. It’s not blue, it’s not purple. I mean, I am blue-green and brown-green colour blind but it’s a murky shade, not one thing or the other, but I love it all the same! More details when it’s done.

Right, I have a baby trying to climb into the television as we speak……….

I made this two weeks ago and have been using it quite successfully since. How the weeks have flown. A reversible linen/cotton zakka-style pouch with influences from various sources but made it up as I went along. Actually, I used one of Coco’s toys to trace around for the circular bottom as a starting point! It was the perfect size, then desperately tried to remember some schoolgirl maths, which failed me and had to ask DH (with the BSc in Maths) for the formula. Is it rushing to you? Well, if not, it’s pi x the diameter of your circle plus seam allowance.

As I wanted to use this for small knitting/sewing projects, I wanted it fairly strong and with an internal pocket for scissors/pencil/tape measure. I kept thinking that needles would end up getting pushed through one layer of linen. It was really quick to make and the tabs were an easy option to use for the closure and being drawn in by some lovely red grosgrain ribbon.

After seeing Di show Soozs’embroidery thread box, I’ve been meaning to share mine. This is only some of what I have. Some I’ve bought over the years for various needlework projects, others are from Mum’s embroidery days in the 60’s and the threads in the tin were a recent charity shop find from DH’s Grandma. Lots of green, purple and brown, which I’m sure will come in handy one day. There’s also a beautiful handmade wooden box back home with my Granny’s threads in. Now some of those I think were her Granny’s - they’re silk and very old but the colours have survived brilliantly. I remember endless hours of sorting out the colours for her when I was little. Such fond memories.

I don’t post very much personal stuff here because I started my blog as a distraction and a focus away from losing our son in late May 2005. He was stillborn at 38 weeks. I haven’t been ready until now to share that with the world. It was an incredibly difficult time for us both being away from our families, mine in Australia and my husband’s in the north of England.

Two years on we are healing but the scars will remain. We have 1.5 acres of woodland in Cumbria dedicated in his memory via the Woodland Trust and are so thankful to our family and friends who made that happen. It is such a special place in a beautiful part of the world that we can all visit for years to come.

The path down to the old woollen mill.

Sunlight through the trees by the stream.

We’ve decided to try and do something each year with Coco and so went to London Zoo yesterday. Not sure how much she got out of it apart from having a donkey nibble her fingers, but we had a good day.