Manly Cashmere Baby Booties: Pattern Notes

I had originally planned to give my friend Julia something else (I know, scandalous!) with a pair of these manly booties, but my cross-stitching drive failed me and it just didn't happen. So instead, I whipped out a second pair of these manly cashmere booties, which are so well modeled by my friend Ellen's six-week old baby.

Pretty cute baby, no?

Ellen and I had a nice, quiet day together on Saturday, sitting inside with the baby while the temperatures in Phoenix soared into the hundreds, and then spent the afternoon with friends at Julia's shower (no, not third person, another Julia! No babies here yet!) Ironically, I got a lot more cross-stitching done on this trip. I thought that I would be unable to finish my little project because I just didn't have the cross-stitch bug, but now it seems to have me interested. I'm so enamored of this cross-stitch project that I don't know if I'll give it away to the next sarcastically witty friend to become a mom or keep it for myself some day.

As for pattern notes, here are the basics:

Classic Cashmere Booties
Simple Knits for Cherished Babies, by Erica Knight
Knit with about a third of a skein (123 yards/113 meters/skein) of Rowan Wool Cotton (50% Merino/50%Cotton) in Coffee Rich (brown) (956) with accents of Rich (red) (911); the second pair were made in French Navy (navy) (909) with Laurel (green)(960) accents on Clover Bamboo DPNs in size US3 (3.25mm), in a gauge of about 7 sts per inch in Stst.

This is my go-to bootie pattern. I just love it. You can easily whip out an entire bootie in a single unproductive night, and if pressed it's not hard to make an entire pair in a single sitting. The "embroidered" primitive hearts are my own little addition to the pattern. I think they add something special. Last time I made the smallest size on US4's and they came out about the right size to fit a baby at 6 months. I made these on US3's so that they would fit a little earlier - maybe 3 months. They were slightly big on Ellen's little 6-week old, so that seems about right. I think as long as they fit sometime during the right season (which is essential in Arizona - there will be no summer booties!) it's okay. I've knit these before, so for more extensive pattern notes, check out this post. I leave you with this shot of the two pairs hanging out together on the flannel baby blanket that Ellen's mother hand-stitched for her:

[Read all entries on the classic cashmere booties.]

Baby Steps

Sometimes life and knitting fly by, and other times it takes work to slog through either. I'll let you guess what kind of time I'm having. *smile*.

Chocolate-colored bootie in repose on the newly-planted nasturtiums.
As always, check the side-bar for details.

Still, these booties have been rather enjoyable. I have a second done and waiting to be seamed up, and plan to embroider each with a primitive heart (in red), like I did with this pair. If I'm feeling really energetic I may make a second pair in navy with the baby's initials in green. We'll see - the shower is this weekend, so time is a factor....

Classic "Cashmere" Booties Pattern Notes

It has been all baby, all the time at MindofWinter this month. Here's round one:

Boooteeelishous!

Classic Cashmere Booties
Simple Knits for Cherished Babies, by Erica Knight
Knit with about half a skein (123 yards/113 meters/skein) of Rowan Wool Cotton (50% Merino/50%Cotton) in Rich (red) (911) with accents of Ship Shape (blue) (955) on Clover Bamboo DPNs in size US4 (3.5mm), in a gauge of about 6.5 sts per inch in Stst.

Finished Dimensions: Tiny! Size 0-3 months.

The Pattern:
This is a wonderful pattern. It's simple to follow, with good illustrations that help those who might be new to knitting these types of fiddly little projects on DPNs. Although I would not rate it as a beginner pattern, due the shaping and fiddling that you have to do, I think it's a good advanced beginner pattern, and certainly a good bootie pattern. I found it much simpler than the Dainty Booties, also designed by Erica Knight, though I like both booties in their finished form. There is a bootie for every occasion, no?

As an aside, I think Simple Knits for Cherished Babies is a wonderful resource for all your baby needs. Although I cannot yet speak for the editing, as this is the first pattern I've tried, the pieces are beautiful. I'm considering making the Mabel Dress for my new niece who is due in February.

Modifications:
The only modification that I made was the addition of the free-form sewn hearts at the end. I thought they added punch and a homemade look to the booties.

Impressions of Rowan's Wool Cotton:
This is a great yarn, and one that I've had occasion to work with several times recently. It beats the pants off of Debbie Bliss' Wool Cotton (now discontinued, I believe), and rivals my all time favorite Jaeger's Extra Fine Merino DK. I would actually go with the wool cotton over the EFMDK for booties, simply because that cotton content gives it a little more structure. Additionally, and importantly, since we're talking about babies here, wool cotton is machine washable. We all know that those two words are glorious music to the ears of new mothers.

Note:** Esteemed reader Rachel adds that Koigu's KPPM used doubled also works well with this pattern.

Possible substitute yarns:
Either the original cashmere called for in the pattern or Jaeger's Extra Fine Merino DK would be a good substitute. The booties will not "stand up" as much in those yarns because they have more drape, and they will also be more delicate and require hand washing. The trade-off is softness and luxury, though I assure you wool cotton is very soft!

**Added Later: My esteemed reader Rachel adds that Koigu's KPPPM works well for this pattern doubled.

Tips for Making Classic Booties:
The only tip I have it to use a needle size that makes the stitches a bit tighter than you'd normally knit. I think this helps keep the shape and make the booties more durable. This pattern is so well-written that there's no trouble-shooting involved.

Ode to a bootie

If socks are the short stories of knitting, booties are the poetry:

Possibly even the hiaku.

For those of you who like cats, or simply photography, here's a series that I took of my little foster kitty Shirley last night, which I call "Shirley Sleeps". I love to play around with photography, and though I'm not yet as good as some people, I can take a decent shot.

Shirley's pretty frickin' cute, isn't she?