In my spare time

I've been knitting.

...up a storm.  

These little babydoll dresses just flew off my needles.  Absolutely no seaming was involved.  That seems to be my criteria for embarking on a new knitting project.  I used Sirdar Snuggly Bamboo DK yarn.  It is so easy to work with and the colors are so beautiful.  The pattern came from Ravelry which I am absolutely obsessed with.  It has become my most trusted source for knitting inspiration, patterns and helpful tips.  

What are these?  Why they're cloth diaper covers, of course.  I've read that knitted wool is the best material for a diaper cover.  It absolutely never leaks.  I was skeptical at first, but my grandma confirmed that yes, this is how they used to do it 'in the olden days' (her words, not mine).  I have an enormous amount of wool in my yarn stash, so I thought I'd give it a go.  

Cloth diapering with twins - you may think I've completely gone insane.  I won't dispute you on that.  I've read that one should expect to go through 600 diapers in the first month with twins.  But I've also read that each child using disposables is responsible for one ton of landfill space.  I just can't get over that statistic.  I've also read that the chemicals used in disposable diapers are dangerous not just for the environment, but for your baby as well.  And the fact that cloth diapers are less expensive made the decision an easy one.  Look at me.  I'm so green and frugal I hardly recognize myself.  

If you're interested in learning more about cloth diapering check out these quick articles recently posted on Simple Mom.  Here  and here.  

Next up:  Sweet Pea Hats to match the two little cardigans I wrote about a while back.  I just love this yarn, Manos Del Uruguay Silk Blend.  I had quite a bit of it left over from the cardigan project and there is just nothing cuter than a baby in a hand-knit hat, right?  Oh wait, there is:  Two babies in matching hand-knit hats.  

I used my go-to hat pattern for this:  'Kim's Hats' from Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson.  And the flower instructions come from Stitch and Bitch Nation.  

And lastly:  My book club buddies gave me this fantastic Blue Sky Alpacas Organic Cotton yarn as part of a baby gift.  The colors are so calming and delightful, I thought a pair of bonnets would be a perfect use for it.  Even though bunnies have totally creeped me out ever since I saw Donnie Darko, I really liked this patern I found on Ravelry.  

I think it is supposed to be modeled after an anime character, but I am entirely unfamiliar with that craze.  I just like its silly little face and floppy ears.  The blue eyed one has a little bit of the Donnie Darko look, but not enough to give me nightmares.  I hope.  

I taught myself how to crochet for this pattern in order to embroider those eyes on the bonnets.  It was an interesting diversion, but I think I'll stick to knitting.  I have a lot of spare time right now, but once the babies arrive, I highly doubt I'll be at liberty to just strike up a new hobby on a whim.  Who am I kidding?  Hobbies are like handbags; there is always room for more in your collection.  

Comments

[Jill]

I'm going to say it again. I LOVE the bunny hats! The bonnets that match the cardis are to die for. These are the luckiest girls in the world!

[melanie]

I completely agree with Jill - those are absolutely the luckiest girls! Adorable outfits. And I have been waffling back and forth between cloth diapers...those links you had posted were really good. I might have to take the plunge!

[EvelynB]

The handiwork in your knitted items makes me envious! Such cute stuff. :-)

I use cloth diapers and a couple investments I made much later in the process that I wish I had started with earlier were the cloth wipes and the toilet sprayer. The cloth wipes were super easy - I just filled my wipe warmer with water and then just dunked the cloth wipes into the water when I needed them. Since they are slightly rougher in texture I found them to be really good at getting all the poop off the baby. And the toilet sprayer eliminated the process of donning dish gloves and dunking the diapers in the toilet. It really is worth the investment. And it doubles as a bidet! hehe. And another thing that I'm sure you determine for yourself when the time comes - I finally fell into the cloth groove once the baby was about a month old. It seemed like so much change in the beginning and the logistics of cloth diapers seemed too daunting. I thought I'd just pass on my experience in case it's helpful! You will be wonder mom so I'm sure nothing will be too daunting a task! :-)

[Yvette Mc Elroy]

I am wondering, you said you got the dress pattern on Ravelry, but didn't leave the name, is it possible to get a name of the dress or the link to the pattern please? I have a friend going to have her first grand daughter, and would like to make it for her.

[briana]

Yvette - The dress pattern is called Kaia Babydoll Dress. Here is a link:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/kaia-babydoll
It is a super easy pattern...and so cute!
Have fun!
Briana