Birth Day Buddies

If I am blessed to have a kiddo of my own some day, I wonder if I'll take the plunge and learn the baby's sex at that second trimester ultrasound.  I've had friends who have done it and friends who haven't, and I'm sure a quick stroll through baby blogs would confirm my suspicion - there are pros and cons, ups and downs, pluses and minuses, to each side of the story. 

What I DO know is that knitting for a gender-yet-to-be-determined bambino takes some serious thought.  Little sweaters and booties are often quintessenially BOY or GIRL, even if you play with the colors.  And if you don't have the time to commit to a neutral throw or baby blanket, what's a girl to do??

I encountered this conundrum recently.  One of my most-specialist friends spent most of 2010 (and part of 2009) wondering if the little nugget in her belly was a boy or a girl.  We all waited with bated breath on the big day, pacing back and forth in our little corners of the world, awaiting the text or call or email with the news.  When little L. made his grand entrance, exactly 50% of us bragged, "I KNEW she was having a boy!".  Funny how those odds work out!  Now rewind several months, again to me pacing, but this time around my LYS...wondering what the heck to knit for this mysteriously gendered baby.  If I had only known then what I know now!  Every baby - boy, girl, big, small, premature or late-to-the-party - needs a snuggly little friend to enter this world beside.

Then I found this: Knitted Toy Tales: Irresistible characters for all ages by Laura Long.  What a life saver!  It is full of patterns for lots of quirky little friends - a frog prince, three adorable babushkas, the owl and the pussycat.  I thought that baby L. would probably like a piglet and a teddy bear, so I set to work on my first attempt at knitted "toys".  I was pleasantly surprised to find how simple the knitting and construction was.  I chose baby-safe yarn and made sure to sew the seams securely, to prevent little hands from beheading or de-tailing his new pals.  Here's what was born:

I nestled these guys in a vintage-looking tub that can be used to store toys or laundry once unwrapped.  They were accompanied by a baby sling that I made using this tutorial, and an incredibly soft baby blanket I bought at Sprout Baby Boutique (if you are ever in Pacific Grove, CA - you must go!).

Piggy's head shot

I used scraps of funky quilting cotton for the paw pads and inner ear lining.  I hand-sewed them in place, and then finished off the facial details (and belly button) with embroidery floss.

Voila!

To little LMH, the newest little Schmicky - I love you and can't wait to meet you in September! 

xoxo.