Yellow Dress

Friends of ours are due to have their first child at the beginning of May. When they found out in December or January that it would be a girl, I decided that it would be a perfect opportunity to try knitting a gift for their little girl.  I found this pattern and liked it because it is all knit in one piece, therefore minimizing the amount of seaming that is necessary at the end.  I am quite pleased with the final product.  I should have taken a picture before I blocked and seamed it, because I didn't know how I would manage to get it to lay flat.  It's amazing how much stockinette rolls in on itself.  I was very pleased with how well blocking worked and will not be afraid to make more things that need blocking.  I am still not a big fan of seaming things, but I am pleased with finally learning how to do mattress stitch, which makes an invisible seam that is not too bulky.  I was able to give the gift at the baby shower yesterday, and I think it was appreciated :)  It's nice to be crafty, as I have never really known how to make things by hand before.  It's also nice when they come out looking like what they are supposed to.  I did make a few mistakes on this piece, but being my first clothing item, and being for a baby, I think they are forgivable mistakes.  I will pay better attention to the pattern while I am knitting in the future and make sure that I measure things precisely.  I think this ended up being about 2-3 inches longer than it probably should have been.  I think by the time it fits the baby in the arms and body, it may still be a bit longer than you would like, but it is a wrap, so I guess as long as the ties can be tied it should fit for a while.

Here is the inside.  One of the mistakes I made was not increasing on every row on the left side of the cross over.  The tie should have been sewn to the point a couple of inches lower than it is, but then it wouldn't have lined up with the tie on the right cross over.  Not a huge deal really, but not perfect.

I like the ties in the back.  I think that I would maybe make them another 4 or 5 inches longer then maybe the dress would be functional for a little longer.  Oh well, it was a learning experience, and I am sure it will be a nice keepsake for the new parents.

Since I finished this, I also knit up some little thumbless mitts for the baby as well. I didn't get a photo of them, but they are super easy to make and I think pretty functional. I also FINALLY knit up a pretty hat for myself with the KnitPicks baby alpaca yarn that Jay got me for my birthday. I think I will be looking for excuses to wear it, even though it's too warm for it. It is so soft and I love the pattern, and the yarn was really great to work with. I am hoping to get Jay to take a picture of it soon and I will share it.