What I knat (warning - this post contains hazardous levels of cuteness)

So... this has been a knitty week for me, and I thought I would share the fruits of my labour. Viva the Mary Janes!

All made from the same free pattern - home.howstuffworks.com/free-baby-bootie-knitting-patterns2.htm - but with yarns of varying weight and deliciousness.

The finished bootees are very soft and stretchy. All three pairs were knitted on 3.25 mm needles and each used less than a single ball of yarn. (I'm not the world's speediest knitter, but I could knit a pair of these in an evening, so they're ideal as a last minute gift for any baby girls out there.)

These itty bitty lil green ones are newborn size and made from extremely soft Rowan Fine Milk Cotton (4ply) in 'Apple Pips'

Pair number two are seriously special, made from RYC pure silk DK in 'Pumice'. This yarn is so soft you have to feel it to believe. Heaven to knit... and presumably heaven to wear - I want a pair for myself! Because it is Dk, they are a little larger than the newborn size.

Pair number three are larger again and made with Rowan Handknit cotton in pure white. This yarn is also described as DK, but is thicker than the silk. I decided to keep these ones plain but could not resist the Beatix Potter buttons.

If you fancy making these, here are a few tips...

1. As with all baby clothes, buttons and decorations need to be sewn on *very* tightly to avoid any choking hazard
2. cast off as loosely as you can, to make sure the ankle strap has some give in it.
3. After making the green ones, I decided to make the ankle strap one stitch longer in the next two pairs - it works better (i.e. cast on 13 stitches instead of 12 when you get to that bit)