As promised, modelled shots of Alice’s new Jane Cardigan, all pristine and new.

It’s cleaner and whiter than her face was when we hurriedly grabbed these photos today. She was in such fine, energetic form that keeping her still was really hard. We had to be quick.

It’s a great fit – even though it does slip off the shoulders a lot. Alice herself commented on the lack of buttons and I wondered if maybe I should add something post-completion. The pattern does suggest a ribbon through the eyelets but be buggered if I could work out how to thread it through in a way that didn’t look all twisted and haphazard. Even Sean had a go, to no avail, so we ditched the idea.

It was suggested to me that I could add some crochet loops and buttons. I might do that if it persists in sliding off as she runs around.

All in all a great, satisfying knit. A hybrid raglan, as the designer says, with fun and interesting design elements and construction. Yet another learning experience, and a welcome one at that.

And yes, yes it’s becoming repetitious around here but it’s a Georgie Hallam/Tikki pattern and I love it and all her work. Expect me to say that again, and again.

The Bendigo 8ply cotton I used for this (a smidge over half a 200g ball) washed up so soft and lovely. I’m itching to start something new in it! Love the stuff!

Yes, she’s wearing a crown in that photo. We took her to a roller derby disco (with a great play area for the little ones) and she went as Queen Alice. As you do.

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I’ve been aware of Australian designer Georgie Hallam for ages – friends around me have knitted endless cute items for children from her steady output of wearable, gorgeous designs, particularly for girls.

I’ve had a little girl in my life to knit for now for two and a half  years and so it astounds me that I haven’t delved into these patterns before now. Why? What opportunities I’ve missed? Dresses, summer tops, gorgeous cardigans, little vests. Endlessly inspired designs. So I plan to play catch up.

I started with her new pattern, Girl’s Best Cardigan. Alice’s mum asked for one last cardigan before winter ends and I complied, like the good knitting obsessed aunt that I am. Today, Alice and I had an outing. We went into town and she posed for photos in the park, with her dinosaur.

Such a sweet girl, such a delight to knit for. Decked out in a purple dress (by me), purple tights and her cardigan, she was a real picture in the sunlight.

It’s a fabulous design. I like the long line shape of it and the wonderful lace panels that are knit as you go, rather than being knit on as a band afterwards.

It’s done up with four buttons at the top (one is inside) in such a way that it drapes at a rather fetching angle. And it’s finished off with a picot bind off all around the openings, the hem and the sleeves.

The other nice detail, which you can see in the above photo, is ruffling in the sleeve cuffs. It’s also in the lower sides of the body. That was a nice new skill to learn.

The yarn is Bendigo Woollen Mills Silk Supreme in Silky Plum. I used just over 200g, or one and a bit balls. It’s gorgeous to knit with. My first time. It’s wool/silk/mohair so makes for something that’s smooth, with only a hint of mohair fuzz and oh so warm. I doubt she’ll get heaps of wear out of it but the length means she should still be able to wear it into next autumn, by which time she’ll be three. And taller. But hopefully not broader.

Georgie Hallam does that marvellous thing of providing a range of sizes in her designs. Up to age 12 in some cases! It was a fast-ish knit – taking me just on three weeks.

I think what I’m trying to do is get as much toddler knitting in as I can. I’m sure the time will come when she’ll either lose interest (not that she’s interested now – she just wears whatever she’s put in) or she’ll get too big to have the same level of output I’m managing now.

Next, I move onto cottons. For summer.

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A little while ago, you may recall, I made a Swirl Hat for Miss Alice. In red Wollmeise.

When her Aunty Adele saw the photo she said immediately she’d love one too. I’m not sure she thought I’d actually do anything about it but I knew already that the pattern came in both adult and child sizes.

I chose some yarn from my stash that’s been there FOREVER. Truly, it goes back to the very first joint shopping spree RoseRed and I ever did together, ordering from somewhere overseas. I don’t even remember where now but it was 2007, the year we met. It’s a nice gentle pinky-red in Jojoland Melody Superwash. A delicate, soft 3ply. I was very glad to finally find a use for it.

Truth be told, I think it’s a little long. I could have made it half an inch shorter so that it didn’t have that odd looking peak at the top. But it fits nicely otherwise.

I had to modify it a bit since the pattern is written for 4ply and the Jojoland Melody was a  fine 3ply but that just meant adding another repeat’s worth of stitches.

I really like the stitch in this hat. I want to find other uses for it. It was, apart from anything else, enjoyable knitting. A nice, rhythmic repetition that made for good bus or coffee date knitting.

Adele was here on the weekend and I wish I’d thought to get a photo of both of them in their Swirl Hats. That would have been so lovely. Instead, I’ll embarrass Adele with a great photo of her and Miss Alice on a slide together at the markets. They did this over and over. As Alice declared with jubilation, ‘It’s fun!’

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ps yes Adele is wearing vibrant blue tights. We recently got an order from We Love Colors in the US and we all, including Alice, have tights in brightest reds, blues and purples to chase away the winter doldrums!

I’m surprising myself at how many small projects I’m working on and churning out lately. It’s all gloves and mitts and hats and baby wear while my big projects languish. I think perhaps in previous winters I’ve focused in a big way on the large things like cardigans and blankets and have wondered at the end of winter where all the small garments were. This year, I’m catching up a bit.

While we were in Melbourne, I worked almost exclusively on toddler hats. I finished one while I was there and got the second one under way. Today, I handed them over.

Alice’s mum asked me to knit two little hats for Alice and her special friend, Katie, who is the other little girl at family day care. It was a request I couldn’t help but love.

The pattern I chose was the Swirl hat – a great 4ply pattern that came together really quickly. Easily memorised, it makes a perfect travelling/commuting project. Here’s Alice modelling hers.

It’s a snug fit. I made the 18-24mths size thinking it’d be fine for a 27 month old. It will be but probably not for that long. The hat I made for Alice’s friend was so much tighter. I think her head must have been that much bigger. I really could have gone up a size or at least a needle size.

Never mind. They fit now and they were almost such instant patterns that it’ll be no trouble to churn out more. This one is made from leftover Wollmeise in Indisch Rot. That’s taken care of the whole skein bar a scrap of it so I think I’ve found my new way to use up leftovers. It’s perfect really. Such a fun little pattern.

I made Katie’s hat from some raspberry coloured 4ply that came in my big bag of goodies from Wangaratta Woollen Mills. Katie was far too shy to pose in hers but she did look awfully cute. Here’s a work in progress shot taken in a Melbourne laneway.

These hats really have inspired me to look differently at my stash. I have bags and bags of half used balls of 4ly. Yesterday RoseRed and I were talking about making fair isle toddler hats out of them and I can’t stop thinking about it. What fun to finally find a use for all those little balls in such bright colours!

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