Monday, September 10, 2007

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  • The Baby Kimono: A Deep, Soul-Searching Experience

    Once I put the kimono on, it was a whole different ballgame.
    -Lucy Liu


    The One-Piece Baby Kimono Pattern:
    A Deep, Soul-Searching Experience
    Pattern: The One-Piece Baby Kimono from Mason-Dixon Knitting
    Yarn: Bernat Handicrafter Cotton in pink (2 1/2 balls)
    Needles: US 6 Inox straights
    Notes: see extended discussion below; but no mods
    Best Thing About This Project: Stash-busting!

    I love Mason-Dixon Knitting. I really do. The photograph. The fun irreverence of the text. The great graphic design. The delight of the projects. And, of course, the ballband dishcloth. So I thought the one-piece baby kimono would be a shoo-in for me. Dishcloth cotton (I am the dishcloth queen, after all . . .). Fun cute baby-ness. Endless variation. All that jazz.

    And then I knit it. The knitting was actually OK. Bernat Handicrafter cotton that I picked up in 2 big bags at a sale at Michael's years ago ($5 for 10 balls - hard to beat) - much softer than I expected. And garter stitch is just sometimes something that soothes the soul.

    But the end result? I don't have a baby to model it on (and - for clarification - all the baby knits are for the babies of friends), but those sleeves look awfully narrow, and the stair-step bind-off kind of uneven. There's also - if you look on Ravelry - a big difference in these in how much kimono there is below the increasing on the cross-over fronts. Clearly, row gauge strikes again, but I think I might have liked a longer kimono. And because you do the fronts last and it has to match the back, there's no way to adjust for that without starting almost over. My favorite part is probably the button.

    Now let's hope of one those friends of mine is expecting a girl . . .

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    12 Comments:

    Blogger JayJay said...

    I am making one it yellow, but haven't gotten too far yet. I'm wondering if maybe I should rip it and do something different. There are so many cute baby sweater patterns afterall. Yours does look quite cute, however, especially the button! If only you could borrow a baby to model it.....

    9/10/2007 11:37 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Narrow sleeves or no, it's very cute. Someone has to be having a girl, the percentages are in your favor.

    9/10/2007 11:45 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    I think it's very sweet. Babies have skinny arms, right?

    9/10/2007 2:17 PM  
    Blogger Jenn said...

    Very cute. And yay for stash busting!

    9/10/2007 3:09 PM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Stash busting and a cute button! It'll probably be a fine fit.

    9/10/2007 3:21 PM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Nothing wrong with a cropped cardigan! It'll probably just go over a onesie anyway, right? I think it's very cute.

    Will you not see your husband again until Christmas?? That is most definitely harumph-worthy. You'll have to channel all your missing into sweaters.

    9/10/2007 6:16 PM  
    Blogger Liz K. said...

    Babies are cute in handknits. It does look a little out of proportion, but seriously, have you ever seen how out of proportion a baby's head is? It will look great on whatever hypothetical baby wears it.

    9/10/2007 7:49 PM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Which friend!!! I'm all agog with curiosity, as the only preggo friend I know of yours is having a boy.

    I used that EXACT button (in green and lavendar) for the Debbi Bliss 1 button hooded cardigan I made in lavendar for the baby girl of some friends of toasty's. I love that button.

    9/10/2007 8:03 PM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    i've always been kinda iffy when knitting baby projects cause i've never really been around too many of 'em, but this kimono is adorable!!! the nice thing about babies is that they come in various sizes, soon enough there will be one around to fit your kimono!!! great work!!!

    9/11/2007 1:23 AM  
    Blogger The A.D.D. Knitter said...

    I LOVE the color, and the fit will be fine for whatever newborn you give it to, imho!

    9/11/2007 2:41 AM  
    Anonymous Anonymous said...

    So cute! And which baby couldn't use a little kimono, I say. I love the button, too. A very nice touch!

    9/11/2007 8:40 AM  
    Blogger Brenda said...

    Very cute, and the button is perfect!

    9/14/2007 2:43 PM  

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