Introduction Most of us knit for babies today because we want to, not because we have to. We knit for them, as our grandmothers did, for the love of it. We knit because nothing else can give us the same soothing texture and emotion as a garment created by hand. While we sit and knit, our hopes and dreams are wrapped in every stitch. Few things are more scrumptious than the cozy warmth of a new baby swaddled in a lovingly hand-knit blanket. We can practically smell the heavenly scent of that loved and worn blanket nestled under the chin of its tiny owner. My passion for baby knits was born years ago when I met my friend's new baby, Anya. She was wearing a beautiful tiny white eyelet cardigan that had been expertly hand knit. When I asked Anya's mother where she bought it, she explained that her own grandmother had knit it for her back in the 1960s. She had worn it as a baby, and she had saved it for her future babies. The cardigan Anya wore was in perfect condition, not a stain or pulled thread, after all those years. Every time I saw Anya after that, she wore a different vintage cardigan layered over a simple white T-shirt, just as her mother had more than thirty years earlier. It is a timeless style that captures the simplicity of babyhood-cozy, comfortable, practical, and sweet. Inspired by Anya's sweaters, I promised myself that I would learn to knit, so one day I could create my own beautiful heirlooms for my children and grandchildren. With my newfound knitting passion, I launched Shescraftyknits.com in 2002, selling my own designs of hand knit baby wear. Over the years, I have designed knitting patterns that capture vintage style and meet modern necessity-less-complicated, updated classics that hark back to simpler days. Heirlooms from Generations Past Many of us have a baby keepsake box in which our mothers kept treasured mementos from our first year. If there was a knitter in your family, your keepsake box most likely contains a pair of tiny booties recording the brief moment when your feet were no bigger than a doll's. Perhaps you recall poking your toes through the holes of an afghan that always adorned the family sofa. These family heirlooms are treasures created to give warmth to the wearer and tactile memories that last a lifetime. If you are lucky, you may have a whole box of baby knits lovingly saved to pass down to your own children and grandchildren so you can continue the tradition. Generations ago, knitting was an important skill that every girl needed to learn from an early age. In the beginning of the twentieth century, no shops sold layettes (complete outfits for newborn infants) or diapers, and knitters in the family had to create everything a baby was going to need for the first year (and beyond). Before published knitting patterns became available, knitters used jotted-down ÒrecipesÓ with guides on the general shape and size of a garment to be knit. The recipes were shared within the family and community to create practical garments such as socks, underwear, stockings, and baby clothes. Families knew the importance of thrift as well as the practicality of wool, which was the primary knitting yarn. Early knitting pattern books started to appear in the late 1800s and were filled with very sensible everyday items for the whole family. In the early 1900s few women could afford to buy a ready-made baby layette, which was only available to the very wealthy, so everything was knit at home. To prepare for a new baby, most mothers created layette items months in advance. A lucky family would have an aunt or a grandmother busily knitting to help fill baby's clothes drawers with fancy dresses, gowns, coats, and frilly bonnets for outings and celebrations. Babies mostly required simple items such as wool soakers, rompers, vests, blankets, leggings, and plenty of caps and booties. The mo Excerpted from Vintage Knits for Modern Babies by Hadley Fierlinger All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
