Whit's Knits: Baby Jumper

When there's a baby in the picture, knitters have a hard time sitting idle. Our fingers twitch until we've outfitted that little bundle in our finest efforts. So when Molly's baby Guadalupe joined the Purl Bee family, that was my cue to get knitting!

I designed this Baby Jumper to appease little Lupe's budding sense of style but also her mother's legendary concern for practicality! Loose and soft and comfy, this simple dress is easy to slip over a squirmy baby's head and really works for the longhaul, first as a jumper, then as a tunic, and even later as a shirt. Plus, it's machine washable. Even Molly has to approve!

And since every hand knit baby gift has heirloom potential, I knit this one up in Anzula's very special Sebastian yarn. Sebastian combines superwash merino with sea cell, a newfangled seaweed-cellulose fiber that offers durability, drape and a very pretty soft shine!

PS Want to catch a glimpse of sweet Lupe in her Baby Jumper? Click here to see her on Instagram!

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Whit's Knits: Cozy Ear Flap Hat

No one's fond of cold ears and we're all pretty averse to icy wind blowing down their canals. So, here is a hat designed to protect these most vital appendages.

And you know that swathe at the back of your head that gets ignored by both hat and scarf? This hat covers that too! These are important practical issues but certainly not excuses to be uncute. In fact, these concerns for warmth and comfort may have inspired our sassiest hat yet!

For toastiness and style I turned to Purl Soho's Super Soft Merino. This is one yarn you'll welcome right up against your ears. Itch-free and wonderfully sumptuous, it also happens to make the best pom poms ever. So don't leave the top of your Cozy Ear Flap Hat out in the cold!

Make your ears happy!

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Molly's Sketchbook: Liberty Tea Towels

One of the many reasons I love Liberty of London fabric is that it evokes an English countryside fantasy I’ve always harbored. As a child, I would get lost in the worlds of Beatrix Potter, The Secret Garden, and Brambly Hedge. I was captivated by the soft colors of their illustrations, their images of teatime and frilly frocks.  My favorite Liberty of London florals all remind me of those charming books!

Recently, Purl Soho received Liberty of London’s new Tana Lawn Seasonal prints, many of which were beautiful florals! What better way to use this fabric than in a set of soft tea towels straight from my childhood daydreams!

For strength and absorbency, I used creamy porcelain Prairie Cloth as the base and added the incredible Irma print to one end. These simple tea towels are put together in a novel way that encases the end in a pure swath of Liberty. With only one visible seam, it’s as if they were dipped in the pretty print!

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Laura's Loop: Bobble Sheep Pillow

I guess it isn't surprising that a knitter has an affinity for sheep. Obviously, some sort of kinship must exist with the animal whose wool provides daily enjoyment (and employment!). So as predictable as it may be, I will say it anyway... I love sheep. They are a funny creature with a neurotic voice and a body perfect for graphic adaptation. 

I love their bulbous bellies and knobbly knees, their googly eyes and pointy ears. I love how they amble about in groups, looking like earth-bound clouds. And it goes without saying, but I love what they gift us... don't worry, I'm not about to type "mutton." I mean, of course, their wool!

A dear friend pointed out that it may be a bit snake-eating-its-own-tail, but anyway, I had to make one... I had to make a sheep, made out of sheep. 

With the softest, loftiest, creamiest yarn I could find and the most dramatic, nobbiest  texture I could create, I knit up this squishable, squeezable, nursery-rhyme version of every knitter's best pal. Bursting with bobbles, this sheep practically implores you to cuddle. 

Incredibly soft to the touch, Purl Soho's Super Soft Merino could not have been more appropriate for this project, right down to its color name, Heirloom White. Your own Bobble Sheep Pillow is sure to be loved by many generations to come!

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Amazing Seed Stitch Wrap

For this Amazing Seed Stitch Wrap we dipped our brush into eleven buckets of the most beautifully pigmented paints we could imagine. With wide brushstrokes we created great swathes of color, fields of undulating tones and extraordinary luminosity.

To swing this wrap around your shoulders is to envelop yourself in the pure beauty of knitting. It is our ode to the greatest natural fibers in the world, our homage to the joy of hand dyed color and to the fascination of a textural adventure.

Our wrap's journey starts with outrageous hot pink, travels through meadows of gentle roses to a soft creamy horizon, into the beguiling world of jade greens, through crystal clear Aegean blues, and finishes in the deep mystery of twilight. Along the way, you meet Jade Sapphire's extraordinary 8 Ply Cashmere, Anzula's For Better or Worsted,  and Blue Sky's cuddly soft Suri Merino.

Want to take the same trip? We've assembled all eleven of these skeins together in one easy place. Click right here to check it out!

And to experience heirloom knitting at its most inspiring, get started right here!

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