Our time in Portugal has provided me with plenty of time to knit. Since I was able to locate a maternity hospital it has allowed me to experiment with patterns for little ones. The photo above is a test swatch. Before I did the test swatch, one of my sisters asked me why the pattern was called an “owlie sack.” I replied I had no idea and we began to guess maybe it was because when a child becomes “owlie,” mothers can slip them into this sack and they feel bundled and safe. Made sense to us! Then I knit the test swatch. Oh, duh!

Here are two versions of the sleep sack with a knit hat for tiny ears.

Owlie Hat and Sleep Sack Knitted

Owlie Hat and Sleep Sack Knitted

 

Rosários 4 Belmonte Yarn

Rosários 4 Belmonte Yarn

This pattern required four skeins but I had one skein left. I used the recommended needle size of 4.5 mm or US size 7.  I decided I did not like the roll down stockinette stitch the pattern called for and changed it up for a “no curl” two-row version listed below. 

CO an odd number of stitches. I decided on 135 stitches for the sleep sack. You can find the pattern on ravelry for free, simply search “owlie sleep sack”.

How to knit the “no curl” version:

  • 1º row: P2, *wyif sl1pw, P1*. Repeat from * to *, to last st, ending with P1.
  • 2º row (RS): K1, *wyif sl1pw, wyib K1*. Repeat from * to * to the end of the row.

Pattern photo with curly stockinette stitch from Ravelry

Pattern photo

You may notice I chose a dot stitch pattern for the body to add a bit more interest. Here are the few lines to make that possible.

How to knit the Dot stitch

CO multiples of 4 plus 3; i.e.: 4 * 3 = 12 + 3 = 15 stitches.

  • 1º row (RS): K1, *P1, K3*. Repeat from * to *, until last 2 st, P1, K1
  • 2º and 4º rows: P across
  • 3º row: *K3, P1*. Repeat from * to *, until last 3 st, K3.

These four rows create the pattern. Repeat them until the desired length is reached. When finished, BO purlwise after a row 1 or 3.

More detailed instructions can be found at sowoolly.net  Love this website!

Version 2 of the Owlie Sleep Sack. I ran out of yarn for the hat so did a simple headband instead. Notice this version I decided to add in owl eyes and a “tree branch” in blue for beneath his “feet.”

Second Owlie Sack and knitted headband

Second Owlie Sack and knit headband

My next project was so fun because of the colors and the super soft yarn.  You will see two different versions of the blanket and the leftover yarn went into the hat and booties below. I can seldom stick to a pattern and find a creativity outlet in playing with the patterns. The hat and booties come from a few patterns.

Finished Knit Set Pastels 2

Finished Knit Set Pastels

The pattern for the blanket is thanks to candylou.com. It is called “Let’s Play Hopscotch”, an easy and fun pattern. Here is the same yarn but in a pattern called honeycomb stitch from lifestyle.howstuffworks.com.

Two blankets, same yarn, different designs

Two blankets, same yarn, different designs

 

Rosários 4 Carícia Yarn

Rosários 4 Carícia Yarn

 

Honeycomb Pattern stitch

Honeycomb Pattern stitch

 

Practice border

Practice border

This next “baby set” is a free pattern from LionBrand called “Lullaby Layette. I chose to not do the sweater, instead I added in a couple of knitted mittens in the same “eyelet” pattern. The photo below is from a girlfriend of mine who had a baby recently and sent me what it looked like in the bassinet. I understand it fit her newborn perfectly.

Finished Baby Set Off White

Finished Baby Set Off White

Thanks to Helen, a lovely knitting teacher of Crawcraft Beasties whom  I met at The Constant Knitter in Dublin, Ireland my seaming stitches are getting better. Thanks Helen, you are an amazing teacher!

Seaming Stitch

Seaming Stitch

Seaming Stitch Inside

Seaming Stitch Inside

 

Leftover yarn from my sweater in last post.

Knit Hat and Booties

Knit Hat and Booties

Side view Knit Hat and Booties

Side view Knit Hat and Booties

Leftover yarn from my ‘basket weave’ blanket from last post as well.

Dot Stitch Knitted Hat and crochet booties

Dot Stitch Knitted Hat and crochet booties

 

Dot Knit Stitch Pattern on Hat

Dot Knit Stitch Pattern on Hat

Thanks for reading.