Wednesday, July 02, 2008

FOs: Snailstace and A Soaker

It's no secret, I love knitting for babies. What has been kept secret until now (post-baby shower) are these two projects, knit especially for Julia and her baby. Now that they have been gifted, I am free to share them here! And so, it is my honor to first introduce you to Snailstace:

Pattern: Garden Snail by the incredibly talented Hansi Singh of Hansigurumi
Yarn: Cascade 220 (100% Peruvian Highland Wool) in 9455 (Turquoise Heather), 2452 (Turtle), 7826 (California Poppy), 7822 (Vandyke Brown) - far less than one skein each
Needles: US5

Where do I start? I LOVE this pattern. This was the first of Hansi's patterns that I've knit, but mark my words- it won't be the last. Her designs are so creative and amazing- I had a difficult time choosing which of her lovely creatures to knit for this special occasion, but for some reason the snail just spoke to me. (Not literally, but almost!) I just had a feeling Julia would like him.

Anyway, I can't say enough about this pattern. Honestly. The way it was constructed- I wasn't sure what I was knitting at times, unsure of how it would come together, but I trusted and what do you know- it eventually morphed into a snail! I could gush for days. This was so much fun! I love this little guy. And I hope Julia's little guy will love him, too!

The other knitted gift (which ended up coordinating very well with Mr. Snailstace) is a soaker. Julia had mentioned her plan to use cloth diapers on the baby, so I immediately thought to knit a soaker.

Pattern: Curly Purly Soaker Pattern by Marnie Ann Joyce
Yarn: Cascade 220 (100% Peruvian Highland Wool) in 7822 (Vandyke Brown) - less than 1 skein
Needles: US4, US6, and US8

This is a great pattern. As evidenced by the myriad of Curly Purly FOs on Ravelry. And for good reason. It's easy to follow, quick to knit, and well, the cuteness is undeniable. Now, I am not too up on how the whole cloth diaper thing works (yet - I plan to have Julia teach me), but I do know that wool soakers are useful for this kind of diapering regimen. Interestingly, there really seems to be a trend back toward using cloth diapers these days, which appeals to me in theory, at least from an eco-minded point-of-view. I'm not sure if I could do it, but again, I hope to learn the ins and outs from Julia and see what this is all about. It would be pretty cool to have fun soakers, in any case. ;)

I'm glad I had a reason to knit one of these! Julia is my first friend to try cloth diapers, so I snagged my chance to knit one. Hopefully there will be other opportunities in the future. :)

16 comments:

mary said...

Mr. Snailstace is adorably perfect! I can't get my head around the soaker idea either; how does wet wool keep a baby more comfortable? Please let me know when you find out.

jillian said...

Ahhhhh, that snail is the cutest knitted toy-thing I think I've ever seen!

mle said...

oh the snail is so adorable!! I love the colors you chose!
And I'm going to try my hand at that soaker pattern. I've heard that all you have to do is "lanolize" the wool soaker and it will be completely waterproof. I've heard they are the best because they are so breathable too.

mames said...

i love the snail in his natural setting. brilliant photo.

Anonymous said...

I totally agree with you about the Hansi patterns, the whole time you are working on them, you have little to no idea what you are forming (I second guessed myself a LOT), and then poof! You have an octopus!

Disentangled said...

Super cute! Both came out great :-)

Marnie said...

As great as the shots are, those two pieces are even more fantastic in person. Loved them.

margaux said...

tooooo cute!! that snail is priceless. love it! what great gifts!

Anonymous said...

Oh man, that snail is so cute! Great color choices. I never thought I would see a cute, cuddly snail.

LizKnits said...

Love the snail and good for you for promoting the more eco-friendly version of diapers.

Anonymous said...

that snail is fantastic! Beautiful gift. And the soaker is sweet too, I love the ribbing pattern on the top.

Anonymous said...

Cute knits!!!

Octopus Knits said...

Oooo, your snail turned out wonderfully! I bought the pattern a while ago, and need to make it soon :)

The soaker is great, too! I'm sure they will both be well loved :)

Julia (MindofWinter) said...

I love both patterns. It was totally amazing to me how well you guys chose things that I love and didn't duplicate each other. Everything is perfect, and the soaker was much needed. I need to get off my butt and knit more up. A knitter cannot buy knitted soakers - it's just not right! I'm so glad to have a handmade one and to have handmade toys. You rock!

craftoholic said...

Ah, that snail is too cute! Now I will have to check out Hansi's patterns, unfortunately every toy I make is not allowed to leave the house, bf's orders (he gets attached...)

zakkalife said...

Just love your snail, adorable. I'm definitely going to have to check out the patterns.