Baby Gift Crochet/Knits

One of the small joys of having a baby is all of the handcrafted goods that have been given to me for her. It seems to me that at the heart of crafting is the need to give to others, and who better to receive these gifts than a new little one, who hasn't yet been tainted by the world's greedy and unappreciative influences. I also think that the gifters may know that as a crafter myself, I'll actually put to use the items that they have made, rather than keeping them "safe" where they "won't be ruined." I don't know about you, but when I hear that I cringe immediately!

To start with, I was given several family heirlooms. The first was a gift from one of the seniors that frequents my work, this cardi that their grandmother had made for them to wear. I can't even express how honored I was that she chose to give this to me rather than her own brood. I can only think that she must have known that I would truly appreciate the craftmanship of it.


Then my mom gave me this blanket that my Nonny knit when my brother was born (which I'll give to him if he ever has kids). The neat part is that there is a ribbon tied to one stitch, which apparently my Poppy knit.



The third is a hat that Skylar's grandma (my mother in law) wore when she was a baby- I think her own grandmother knit it for her:



Of course, we also received several things made specifically for the baby. A crocheted hat made by Skylar's Nana (my stepmom):



An awesome skully cap by Knit Knacker Georgia:



This non-pastel sweater (she must have heard my pink pastel rant!) that came along with one of our Knit Knack exchanges last year, made by Kelly:



And of course here she is as a hodgepodge knitwear model wearing what I made for her, a little sweater and cap (yup, that's the knit knack blanket in the background). The red portion of the cap I made while in labor with the little one. I had intended for her to wear the cap home from the hospital but I ran out of yarn, so I finished up the top (blue section) when I got home:



I don't have a picture handy, but she also received a (somewhat scary looking) crocheted bunny from one of my mom's 7th grade students, and a darling little purple bear from another friend.