Tuesday 22 December 2009

Alice Gets A New Dress

Christmas came early to the lovely cherub, Alice. We won't be seeing her or her parents on Christmas day so we had a BBQ and gift exchange on Monday night.

Alice, of course, was first cab off the rank. I was very excited about giving her a Christmas present for the first time. Here's the result.

Alice's dress

And another one. These photos are by her Daddy.

Alice's new dress

I hope the colours are showing up ok on your screens. Someone told me the other day that photos I'd put on facebook made it look kind of dirty grey. Nope, it's definitely a pale purple colour.

I had some issues with this dress, or really it's a top, in the beginning. Remember when I joined it up wrong? And Donna very kindly pointed it out to me before I got too far into it? I just misread the pattern and my knitting but we got there in the end.

Also, I sewed up the side seams too hight and had to undo them last week in order for her little arms to get through. The pattern has you adding one stitch either side at the point where the arm holes begin, but honestly I think the pattern would be better off saying 'place a marker here' so that you can remember later on instead of being a doofus like me and sewing up til the yoke. It kind of made sense at the time since once you sew up the seams, the yoke does form a hole - it's just not big enough.

Here's one with Mummy.

Alice and Fee

The pattern is Fiona's Top by Danish designer Sanne Bjerregaard. I made the one year old size for 10 month old Alice hoping it would be more like a dress for a while until she grew, because she's so small, but as you can see it's already short enough that it will be a top, not a dress. Fee's going to find some little lemon shorts for her to wear under it (cute!).

The yarn is Rowan 4ply cotton which I read during the making of this is discontinued. WHY??? It's gorgeous stuff. Fine and soft and highly workable. There are plenty of other good 4ply cottons out there but this was my first time with Rowan cotton and I loved it.

It was a warm evening last night and Alice wore the dress the whole time, kept cool and airy by the light cotton fabric. By the end of last night, the dress was covered in avocado from our salad.

Another successful baby knit! I can't believe that soon she'll be one. Better get on with her birthday present.

Bells