Homemade layette items

I'm pregnant and due any day now, but it wasn't until about a month ago that I thought about knitting anything for this little one. I guess I figured it would be warm outside and I didn't know the size or gender yet.

But, then I started browsing around Ravelry and looking at all the cute baby girl dresses. Soon I was hooked on the idea of making a little homecoming outfit for this sweet pea.

I decided on the Milk top and this hat and booties set designed by Pickles. I thought the top would take me much longer than it did, but I put all of these items together in just about 2 weeks!

I wanted to find a yarn that was easy to wash and super soft. I used Reynolds Wash Day wool for the top and Plymouth Dreambaby DK for the hat and booties. I've worked with worsted weight and bulkier yarns, but have never used DK or fingering weight yarn before. It was so soft and squishy and fun to knit with.

I knit the 3 month sized sweater on larger size 3 needles, which worked out to be the 6 month size. I accidentally used 4.0 mm (size 6) needles instead of size 4 (3.5 mm) for the hat and booties. It explains why they worked out to be so much bigger than what I'd expect for "newborn" size. But, I tend to have large babies, so I'm happy for this mistake.

I tried double point needles for the first time on the sleeves of the top and had to pick up stitches all around for the border, which was daunting. But, I really like the challenge of trying new techniques! The top is knit in one piece and has just one hidden button near the top of the front flap to allow for some adjustments in fit. I also love the cute little hand cover flaps!

I can't wait for the opportunity to try these on the new baby!