You will find my knits are well finished and soft to the touch. I am very conscientious about details, for example stripes will line up, yarn ends will be woven in, buttons are well sewn on, knitted fabric is evenly worked. There are always details that a non knitter might not notice but that doesn't mean I don't, and I try to ensure everything about a baby knit is as perfect as I can make it.
MY BACKGROUND
I learnt to knit at about 8 years of age, taught by my mother and grandmother. I still use some of their knitting tools. I remember when I was still too young to knit, standing on a chair and clashing a pair of knitting needles together as fast as I could and believing I was knitting, because that’s what I perceived my mother as doing and I wanted to be able to knit too.
I knitted garments for myself in my teens, and baby clothes for my own children for their first couple of years. Then I put away my needles and didn’t think about taking them up again until my daughter in law became pregnant with my eldest grandchild, a beautiful girl who is now 11. I haven’t stopped knitting since then; it’s become a passion. I knit mainly baby clothes but also knit children's and ladies’ hats, scarves and cowls.
Once I realised my grandchildren have more knits than they can comfortably use I gradually started selling my knitted baby garments. First I sold by word of mouth and at one or two annual craft fairs, which I still do, and then I ventured online.
WHAT INSPIRES ME
My initial inspiration behind knitting baby clothes would have to be the fact that I simply love babies and children. They fascinate me. I love their innocence and honesty and I love to go into their world and see things through their eyes. I love to just observe them and listen to them, and play make believe with them. I once was a teacher, and have done voluntary work with babies. So my love of children and knitting has come together and resulted in a constant stream of baby knits.
It’s rarely a conscious decision that I will knit a specific pattern next, like ticking off a list. It’s more a feeling of inspiration because along with the patterns and colour ideas circulating in my mind are thoughts of interesting colour combinations. I love playing with colours and prefer styles that are more modern and eye catching.
Ideas might come from something a stranger is wearing, or a home decor item, or a display in a shop window, or something beautiful in nature - I jot it down or take a photo and store it away in my "Ideas" file. I also keep my eye on what baby wear trends are in some of the more popular baby stores.
So it’s more of a creative process than a logical one. Something simply inspires me and my mind almost subconsciously mulls over colours and which pattern might work with which yarn for the effect I’m after. Then I’m itching to be finished with my current project and casting on something new.
MY PROCESS
Whereas when I knitted for my own babies I knitted for practical reasons along with the pleasure of making them something pretty, nowadays my knitting is more my art. It’s a very creative process for me, along with being soothing and relaxing.
Hand knitting isn't an instant process that produces a finished product in an hour or two. Each garment contains many thousands of stitches and each stitch is formed individually. It has to be done one stitch at a time and it can take a week of knitting (a few hours each day) to finish a small baby cardigan.
Sometimes that frustrates me because I can be impatient to see my finished product and yet life's obligations get in the way and I can't be constantly knitting. Luckily I enjoy the actual knitting process, finding it relaxing, so that gradually my visualised garment takes shape.
All my handmade sweaters are made with attention to detail and careful finishing - I regard knitting as both my craft and my art. I'm quite a perfectionist in everything! I think you'll find that my knits are a bit different from others. I spend a lot of time selecting the perfect yarn and colour/s for a project, adapting patterns as I don't necessarily follow a pattern to the letter, and finding the perfect buttons. Buttons! I can spend hours trekking around shops searching! Buttons are so important - they can make or break the beauty of a baby cardigan. Overall, immaculate finishing is vital.
My yarn choice goes with yarns that are soft and nice quality, ranging from machine washable to more luxury handwash only yarns; I don't shop for yarns in "$2 stores" or chain stores and won't skimp on quality. Much of my yarn has been bought from the UK as I tend to prefer some of their brands.
I hope you will enjoy looking through this store, as much as I enjoy making the items for sale in it. Any feedback or requests are entirely welcome.