Louisa Cape

I was thrilled to receive a copy of Rowan Studio 30 recently – I love knitting children’s clothes for my girls!  This latest collection from Rowan designer Sarah Hatton features a capsule wardrobe of knits reflecting Folk influences that are popular this season, for 0-5 year olds.  I chose some Rowan Baby Merino Silk DK in the gorgeous Rose colourway 678 to knit the Louisa Cape.  Such a pretty colour, with a real vintage appeal.

I was really pleased with how the cape turned out.  I knitted the size to fit age 4 so that there would be a substantial amount of growing room.  It’s a clever design, and I can see the cape lasting way past Age 4, as my daughter grows.  An adult version would be rather good too don’t you think!?

 

The Baby Merino Silk DK was fabulous to knit with.  It’s a machine washable blend of merino wool and silk which I discovered, when washed, has a beautifully soft feel to it.  The quality of the yarn is really important with clothes for little ones – they really appreciate something warm and light but also soft against their skin.  This yarn comes in a gorgeous range of colours ranging from more traditional pale pastels to bright shades that would be popular with toddlers and older children.  In the brochure, the Louisa Cape is knitted in a lovely bright sunflower yellow – I think this would look amazing, but my daughter has an obsession with pink!

You can check out the Rowan Studio 30 Collection here.  Go take a look at those gorgeous patterns for little girls and boys!  There are also two free patterns from this collection to download on Rowan’s website – just sign up for free to become a Rowan member.

 

I’ll leave you with a couple of photos of my Tess of the d’Urbervilles rose ( David Austin Roses) – it seemed rather fitting with the Rose yarn!

Happy Knitting

Claire X

P.S, if you love to knit clothes for children, keep an eye on my Facebook page and this blog for some exciting news coming soon about the new Rowan autumn/winter 2014 collection for little ones.

Easter Preparations…

This weekend I have been eating mini-eggs preparing for Easter….

I’ve been working on a little crochet basket/bowl inspired by designs in this lovely book, using some pretty Rowan pink handknit cotton from my yarn stash.  The pattern starts off with a few rounds of simple trebles (UK) to form the base of the basket, followed by some rounds of bobble or popcorn stitch to form the sides and double crochet (UK) to finish off.

Today I made a floral lining out of a scrap of Liberty Tana Lawn “Betsy” that I purchased from EBay.

 

To be filled with eggs from our chooks:

 

Thank you ladies:

Or Easter delights:

 

 

I think after Easter, my little crochet bowl might find a nice home in the bathroom or bedroom as a tidy for bits and bobs:

This weekend, we’ve also been enjoying the pre-school puppet show and getting Easter tattoos:

And I’ve been trying on my new sandals:

With fingers crossed for some sunshine instead of the wintery showers and hail that the UK has been experiencing this afternoon!

Have you got any Easter projects on the go at the mo?

I’m possibly off to knit some bunnies from Made by Ewe here and Rowan’s Easter Collection here &/or these cute little chickens ‘Esther, Ernie & Enid’ from Rowan (pattern here).

And knit some more of my big project…

Happy Easter crafting!

xx