Spring Sprogs (FO!)

Spring is here, a-suh-puh-ring is here.
Life is skittles and life is beer.
I think the loveliest time of the year is the spring.
I do, don't you? 'Course you do.
--Tom Lehrer, "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park"


Ahhh... spring. I don't know about where you are, but here in Jolly Ole England, spring is in full force. Hundreds of daffodils can be seen almost anywhere you go (it's quite breathtaking, actually), and cherry blossoms are starting to appear. It's a time when heavy coats are put aside, people look at their gardens (usually in dismay), and this year - two of my cousins are due within weeks of each other.

As a beginning knitter, I had to think long and hard about what to make them. They are sisters-in-law, so I didn't want to make a sweater/blanket/bear set for one and then a pair of booties for the other. Also, while I'm up for trying anything, I did have to think about projects I could do - twice - in the amount of time I had left myself (about 3 months). I decided baby booties would be the best course of action.


Pattern: Ballet Pumps (left) and Mary Janes (right) from Sublime's "15 Designs for Babies".
Yarn: Plymouth Dreambaby DK (50% acrylic, 50% nylon) in colors black (113) and pink (126).
Needles: KnitPicks Options 4.5 mm (US7)
New-to-me Techniques: Increases (Make One versions A and B), Decreases (K2tog TBL and K2tog), short row shaping.
Start/Finish: Mary Janes: 03 FEB 07 - 12 MAR 07. Ballet Pumps: 05 MAR 07 - 12 MAR 07



My cousin, Dave, and his wife, Heidi, are expecting a girl. I know that this is what they were hoping for, as they already have a son, and so I thought the pink would be a perfect choice for them. Of course, at first I was reading the pattern entirely wrong (as you may have read in my earlier post.



My cousin, Michelle, and her husband, Chris, are also expecting a girl. I thought the combination of black bootie with red ties would fit in nicely with their goth lifestyle.



This was my first project using my new Options needle set that I had received at Christmas. All I can say is that I really love this set. As a new knitter, I was so thankful to have a variety of needles available to me as I was swatching for these. The cables are nice and flexible, the tips nice and pointy, and in some ways I think I may prefer them to my Addi Turbos (can I say that and still be a knitter?). If you're thinking of getting a set of interchangeables, I highly recommend these. The bonus is you can buy any of the pieces individually should you lose a tip or a cable or just if you have that much knitting to do.



I also enjoyed working with the yarn. While the recommended yarn is a lovely-to-the-touch cashmere/merino blend, I really felt that something machine washable would be a bit more important. As it is, this yarn is quite comparable in softness, plus it came in black, which was a must-have!

All in all, I really enjoyed this project. Once I figured out how to read the pattern correctly *blush* I could easily sit down and work one bootie up in an evening. That combined with how little yarn is used is a great weapon to have in your knitting arsenal for that last minute baby shower.