In Due Time...

I was told the other day by the owner of our LYS that she'd heard that when you're knitting a hat for a full term newborn you should aim for the size of a grapefruit and if you're knitting for a preemie, try for the size of an orange. 

My sister-in-law and brother-in-law are still waiting.  They are SO ready, now.  I guess I couldn't stand the waiting any longer either, casting on for and finishingr two wee little hats out of two sock yarns, both Trekking, in only a couple of days.  You know that knitting myth/suspicion (not the boyfriend one), the one where you start to believe that you can  influence someone's labor by casting on for a last-minute project for their baby or, if not that, then finishing and casting off or, if not that, then, as in this case, starting and finishing the second one...?  So much for THAT idea!  These were done a few days ago.  Silly me to think that my knitting held that kind of power.  Babies come when they are ready to, thus the phrase "in due time" I suppose?

This is the closest yet that I've come to knitting in traditional candy pink or baby blue for anyone.  They're both knit on #2 dpns over the same number of stitches (80, I think?), the pink one just a few rows shorter to prevent running out of yarn (approximately 5.5 - 6 inches before starting decreases).

The pink one is being modelled by an orange-sized grapefruit, and the blue one is on a grapefruit-sized orange.  So much for THAT idea, as well.

Comments

[fleur]

That's true, nice hats!

[kmkat]

Cute, cute hats. And although the grapefruit and orange are as attractive as any citrus fruit has aright to be, the hats will look even cuter on a real baby :-)

As to influencing the baby's arrival, I think only La Harlot has that power; it probably came to her because she is so involved with the mothers. We mere mortals must knit and bide our time.

[Erika]

Iris, my dear, have you heard about your blog being featured in the holiday edition of KnitSimple magazine?

http://flickr.com/photos/mechagrue/306724785/

The opposite page also has a screenshot of your blog. I totally recognized your feet in the picture, before I even saw the text. :-)

The mag: http://www.knitsimplemag.com/

[peg]

Great little hats! I was 2.5 weeks overdue with my first one, and no one wanted you around - they thought you would have the baby on their kitchen floor or in their car in about ten contractions. By that point, I just wanted it over with and where it all happened ceased to be important! As you say, "in due time".

[Sheila]

The hats are sweet. I work in the Newborn intensive care unit and I think that size of the orange and grapefruit are about right. Preemie's head are smaller but by the time they are ready to be in an open crib they about the size of an orange. Congrats on your blog being featured in KnitSimple. A celebrity!

[jean]

Very nice hats! Why does my ribbing come out all wonky? Yours is lovely and straight. Quite lovely indeed.

[AJ]

The hats are very cute! I read in "Knitting for Peace" that some hats have to bit knit to fit the size of a lemon!!! Can you imagine!?