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. :)